


Someone Else's Shoes

by PorkChop



Category: Rick and Morty
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Daddy Kink, Drug Use, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, False Identity, Lies, Manipulation, Masturbation, POV First Person, Praise Kink, Reader-Insert, Spanking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-28
Updated: 2018-03-15
Packaged: 2019-01-06 15:21:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 89,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12213549
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PorkChop/pseuds/PorkChop
Summary: When Rick and Morty are forced to skip dimensions again, their plans to slip seamlessly into a new life are thwarted when things turn out to be a little bit different to their last home. Rick finds himself swept into a relationship he didn't know he was a part of, but how will he react to the young lady who knows a lot more about him, than he knows about her?





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> PLEASE READ!
> 
> Now I have your attention, I'd like to address a few things :3 So this is going to be a multi-chapter Rick/Reader fic, though it's not going to be written like a 'traditional' reader insert, I suppose you could say. This first chapter (Prologue) will be written from Morty's perspective, and all following chapters will be written from the perspective of either Rick or the reader. It's likely that most chapters will be from the readers perspective, but sometimes the POV will switch halfway through a chapter, I'll try to make it clear when it does :) I just thought I'd explain that to avoid any confusion, and I hope you don't mind this slightly odd method. This is just the format I find my self gravitating towards for this particular story. 
> 
> With that out of the way, I hope you enjoy!

“What, what're we doing here, Rick?” I asked, looking up at the man in question as he strode beside me, stretching slightly ahead. He was staring down at the bleeping device in his hand, yet still managed to avoid stepping in the various craters that dotted the entirety of the strange planet’s surface. 

“We're looking for something, M-ourgh-ty.” He said, failing to elaborate, turning dials and squinting at the device. I glanced around the planet. It looked a cross between a desert on Earth, and the moon; though the sky had a lime green hue. There were a few tall, barbed, shrub-like plants dotted around, grey in colour with a tangle of what looked like orange fur at the base. It appeared to move, trembling and shifting slightly in the breeze. Well, at least it would if there was a breeze.

“Huh, Grandpa Rick, those plants look like they're moving.” I pointed out, tugging on his coat to grab his attention. He followed my gaze.

“That's because the orange stuff isn't part of the p-plant. This planet is home to these fluffy little orange aliens. Pretty harmless, from what I've seen.” He told me. Suddenly the beeping became louder and quicker, and Rick laughed triumphantly. “Here we are, Morty.”

“Where exactly is here?” I asked, coming to a standstill beside him. He pointed down at the ground in front of us. There was a narrow stream running in a wiggly path in front of us. And I mean _narrow_. It was about the width of my wrist.

“The River Guamtebulon. Th-this isn't water Morty, this is liquid gold.” Rick clapped his hands together before kneeling down on the ground. “Run a current through a couple drops of this stuff, you've got enough energy to power a small City for at least a decade.” He said, and I raised a brow.

“Really? How-how’s that work?” I asked, and he glanced up at me.

“Its particles vibrate a certain frequency, and it works as a sort of amplifier, I guess you could say.” He explained, before adding; “That's in layman's terms, Morty. The real explanation is much more complicated, y-y-you wouldn't even come close to underst-”

“Yeah, okay grandpa. I get it.” I rolled my eyes and wandered off to a nearby bush, getting a closer look at the little orange creatures. I crouched down, watching the mass of fur shudder and warp. I glanced over my shoulder at Rick, seeing him pull a glass vial out of his pocket, before I reached out to gingerly touch one of the beings. It made a little squeaking sound, and it rolled over to face me. One almost-black eye peeked out through the fur. “H-hey there little guy.” I whispered, picking up the little creature. 

The thing was about the size of the palm of my hand, didn't look to have any arms or legs, but had a number of little suction-cup type things that rose out of it's fur to cling onto me, holding itself steady. I smiled at it, stroking a finger over it's fur. It was absolutely adorable, especially when it snuggled into my palm and closed it's eye, squeaking again. “You're a cutie, aren't you? Oh man. This is so cool.”

“Put it down.” Rick said, suddenly appearing behind me and making me jump. I turned to face him as he slid the vial full of strange liquid into his pocket.

“Rick, can… can I keep him? Just this one.” I asked, keeping my tone hopeful. He looked between me and the animal, unimpressed.

“Oh, so it's a him? How do you know those things even have a gender?” He asked and I shrugged, looking down at it.

“I don't. I just think it's really cute. An-and since Snuffles I haven't really had a pet. I-I-it’d be cool to have some, some companionship, you know? Like, when I'm at home and you're busy.”

“Jeez Morty, you really need to get some friends.” He rolled his eyes. “No, Morty. Put it back.” He said, reaching around in his pocket and pulling out his portal gun.

“Aww, Rick. Please? You never let me keep cool stuff from our adventures.” I whined, hugging the little ball of fur to my chest, pulling out the puppy-dog eyes, hoping it would work in my favor. They didn't touch my grandpa though, of course. 

“Uhh, yeah, I do Morty. You don't remember Gwendolyn? Look how that turned ou-ugh-t.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “I don't want a bunch of mutant, furry Morty's running around.”

“Eww, gross. Th-th-that's not cool, Rick. That's not why I wanna keep it. You know that's really, that's really messed up. Jeez.” I sulked, feeling my face grow hot. Rick laughed at my discomfort before turning back and shooting a portal at the ground.

“Just put it back, Morty. Y-you can have a hamster, or something.” He said, strolling over to the portal. “Let's go, kid. I got a whole bunch of cool science to do with our loot.” He added, before jumping down into the glowing green void.

I narrowed my eyes at the portal before looking down at my new friend. I smiled to myself before carefully sliding the furball into my pocket, then followed Rick back home.

-

It turned out that little Alfred (that was his new name) liked potato chips. He hoovered up a whole bag before bedtime, and I put a handful more in the shoe box I'd made into his temporary home, just until I found something better. I'd shredded up some newspaper and filled a little pot with water, and popped them inside with him before placing the lid on top, making sure to poke a few holes in it so he could breathe.

“Goodnight Alfred.” I whispered, before climbing into my own bed.

I awoke the next morning, grinning when I remembered my little orange buddy. I slid the box out from it's spot under the bed, lifting the lid carefully. I saw little Alfred huddled up in the corner, sleeping. His potato chips had all gone, and some of the water had gone too. Looks like I'd found a good diet for him. I smiled with pride, before putting the lid back on and letting him sleep.

I spent most of the day in the garage with Rick, helping him out with various projects. He'd been working on an invention for a while, but couldn't seem to get it to work right. He'd explained to me that it was an addon for the Interdimensional Goggles that would allow him to access the thoughts and memories of other Rick's. He hoped it would help him with breakthroughs of his own, and rationalised it by saying it wasn't plagiarism if he was getting the ideas from himself.

Apparently he didn't have the right kind of energy to transfer the brain activity from one dimension to another, and that's why he needed the special fluid from the River Guamtebulon. Well, he'd used bigger words than that, but that was the general gist. 

He'd kicked me out of the garage after dinner, deciding I was asking too many questions and that his work was becoming too complex for me to be of any help, so I resigned to my room to check on Alfred. I closed my bedroom door and pulled the box from under the bed. I felt the box shuffle and vibrate under my hands, and it felt heavier than it had earlier. With a frown, I lifted the lid. My eyes widened.

“Holy shit.” I gasped. The box was full of Alfred's, all huddled up together. I mouthed numbers as I counted off each one, I could see about nine in there, but there might have been more underneath. “I guess you're not a guy, huh. What're the odds I'd pick up a pregnant one? That's okay, I just need to find you a bigger home.” I sighed, walking over to the red desk in the corner of my room. I pulled open the top drawer and emptied it out, dumping the various pieces of paper and junk that had collected there onto the floor. I moved the creatures into the drawer, and realised there was actually twelve all together, and try as I might, I couldn't tell which was the original. I emptied a couple bags of chips into the drawer before closing it.

-

The next day was a school day, so I didn't get to check on Alfred, Doyle, Nancy, Rosy, Cody, Max, Lorraine, Tina, Jacki, Todd, Stewart or Clyde all day. I was a little worried, if I was honest. Had I left them enough food and water? That drawer couldn't be airtight, could it? What if Mom or someone decided to go looking through my stuff for some reason? I had so many concerns I couldn't concentrate, and when the bell finally rang and it was time to go home, I couldn't get back quick enough. I raced upstairs to my room and went straight to the desk.

Little squeaking could be heard, and I was grateful that it was at least quiet. I picked up a bag of potato chips from my stash down the back of the desk, and pulled open the drawer. When I saw what was going on inside, I wanted to cry. The whole drawer was swarming with the things, there must've been at least sixty. A couple escaped from the drawer, rolling around the room, climbing up the walls.

“Shit. Shit. Oh-oh fuck.” I mumbled, involuntarily crushing the chips in my hands as I stared at the mayhem before me. I jumped into action once I'd composed myself, gathering up the escapees and putting them back in the drawer, closing it immediately after. I stood back and chewed on my nails, thinking, wracking my brains for a solution. I had to send them back somehow, back to their home planet. But how the hell was I gonna manage that without telling Rick? And that wasn't gonna happen, not unless I wanted to kiss goodbye to cool adventures, along with his trust. This wasn't exactly the first time I'd done something stupid against Rick's advice.

I had to get his portal gun, put them back where I found them. It wouldn't be ideal, Rick would be able to see in his history that someone had used it, but I'd just have to come up with some excuse if he asked me about it. The toughest part would be getting hold of the gun itself. It's not like he left the thing lying around, it was in his damn pocket ninety percent of the time.

So I waited until nightfall. I could hear the desk creak, see the draw shake a little, they were definitely multiplying. Perhaps it had been a bad idea keeping them all in the same place, but there was no going back now. I stayed awake in my room all night, waiting for Rick to go to bed. Why the hell was he such a damn night owl? Did the guy even sleep?

It was about four in the morning before I finally heard movement downstairs. The rest of the house was fast asleep, and Rick was only just coming in from the garage. I crept out of my room and stood at the top of the stairs, listening. I heard Rick's footsteps through the house, the opening and closing of a door, then after a few short minutes, silence. I tiptoed downstairs, and made my way to his room, standing just outside the closed door. The waiting game was not over, but now all I needed to do was listen out for his snores.

It didn't take long, and when I was done psyching myself up, I quietly turned the doorknob, cursing the creak of the hinges as I pulled it open. It was funny. Nothing in this house ever made a sound until I was trying to be quiet.

I slipped into the room, glancing over at my grandpa as he lay sprawled out on his bed, wearing nothing but his underwear. I looked to the floor, noticing his clothes lying in a pile, and crouched down. I felt around in the dark, going by texture alone my hands found their way to his lab coat. I squeezed the fabric; feeling for anything solid. I was about to give up hope when I found it, the clear outline of the portal gun. I felt around for the pocket’s opening, and quickly freed the object of it's fabric confines. 

I felt like jumping for joy, I couldn't believe I'd actually managed to be successful. I wanted to tell Rick, boast to him that I could do _something_ right, but that would obviously defeat the purpose. So instead, I rose to my feet, heading back to the door. I was home free, I could see the exit, I was on my way, everything was going perfectly. Then I stood on something. I hissed in agony, dropping the portal gun and stumbling back into a pile of boxes as I clutched my injured foot. Rick burst to life on the bed, and was on me in seconds, his forearm pressed against my throat. My fingers scrambled for some purchase on his wrist and I choked out in panic.

“The _fuck_ are you doing in my room? Who are you, who the fuck sent you, you little… little fucking…” Rick yelled angrily, gradually becoming less and less frantic when he began to realise who I was. He let up on my throat, frowning down at me. “Morty? What the hell are you playing at? Fuckin’ sneaking in here- sneaking into my room like a little creep in the night.”

I coughed, rubbing at my tender throat, holding a shaky hand out to him. “W-wh-what the hell, Rick? Y-y-you coulda’ kill-killed me!” I exclaimed.

“What are you doing in here, M-Morty?” Rick asked, standing up and putting the light on. His eyes immediately went to his portal gun, lying next to me on the floor. “W-were you trying to steal this? W-w-what the fuck, Morty? You trying to cross me, you little shit? Explain your fucking self.” He was pissed. Really, really pissed. I quaked under his gaze, backing away from him.

“I'm sorry, Rick! I-I-I was just trying t- t-” I paused, avoiding his gaze as I tried to think of something.

“Sp-spit it out!” He yelled, taking a step closer to me.

“I wanted to go back to Atlantis!” I finally said. “You know… to see the mer-mermaids again?” Rick stared, face blank and unreadable. I winced, waiting for a slew of insults. Instead, Rick laughed.

“Oh! I see how it is Mort-Morty. Tryin'a sneak off and get that mermaid-puss’ without me. What? Grandpa cramp your style or something?” He said, taking a seat on his bed.

“N-no, that's not…” I trailed off as I watched him pick up the bottle of liquor on his bedside table, and take a swig.

“You know, y-you could've just asked. I would've taken you, Morty. You wanna go to Atlantis?” He said, picking up the portal gun.

“No, Rick! I mean, I don't really… You almost killing me kind of spoiled the mood, if you, if you get me.” I laughed sheepishly, feeling my cheeks flush at the false insinuation. “And I kinda have to be up f-for school in three hours.”

“Huh. Suit yourself.” Rick said. “Just for the record; and I thought it went without saying, Morty, this portal gun is for my use only. You wanna go somewhere? Ask. Don't be a shady mother fucker and try to steal it, okay? I-if you got yourself into trouble in some other dimension, h-how could I help? Just, just promise me you won't try that again.”

“Yeah, Rick. I promise.” I said with a sigh, raising to by feet. It was only then I realised what I'd stood on. It was a fucking piece of glass from a broken liquor bottle. “Y-you should really clean that up. I-it could really hurt someone, you know?”

“Yeah well, I know it's there. It's not hurting anyone unless they come in here, which I kindly ask that they do not. Now fuck off, I gotta sleep _sometime_.” He grumbled, laying back down on his bed and closing his eyes, portal gun in hand. Looks like that plan had shriveled up and died. I did as I was told, leaving him be and turning his light off as I went. I returned to my room, faceplanting my bed and letting sleep take over.

-

Morning came, and I felt unusually cozy in my bed. Warm, comfy, nice. I slowly opened my eyes, and wished I hadn't. My room was a sea of orange, rippling fur; there was a ridiculous number of the things now, everywhere I looked there was more, on the walls, on the bed, on _me_. Panic shook me, and I leapt out of bed, spinning in a circle, taking in the scene before. This was not good. _Not fucking good._

“Morty, are you getting up sometime today? You're going to be late for school.” I heard mom call up the stairs, and I groaned loudly. 

I grabbed my clothes off the floor, shaking off the creatures that clung to them and quickly got dressed. I picked up my school bag then hobbled out of my room, avoiding stepping on anyone, and closed the door behind me. I paused to compose myself, get my heavy breathing under control. I made a fist and smacked myself in the forehead, cursing myself for being such a colossal idiot. 

I realised I had to tell Rick. I had no other option at this point, that was clear. So I headed downstairs, sweating profusely and preparing for the worst. I searched the house, coming up blank, before ending up in the kitchen.

“Where’s Rick?” I asked Mom, who glanced up at me from her phone. 

“He had to go somewhere. He didn't really say where… something about a river and how he needs more juice? You know what he's like.” She shrugged, eyes raking over my face and clothes. “You look tired, he didn't take you out again last night, did he?”

I shook my head. “Just had a rough night's sleep.” I sighed. What the fuck was I gonna do? I needed Rick's help before this thing got any more out of hand.

“Well you better get going to school. I did call you down for breakfast about an hour ago, I figured you didn't want any.” She told me, and I frowned.

“No, mom. I overslept. I always want breakfast.” I argued.

“I'm sorry, honey. Take an apple or something for on the way.” She said, turning back to her phone. I shook my head, but took her advice anyway. At this point, I thought it best just to ignore the whole alien situation. What else could I do? It's not like I had many options. So I just swallowed the nervous feeling that was plaguing me, and headed off to school.

It was fourth period when everything really went to shit. It started with an array of gasps around the classroom. I wondered what was going on, until I noticed what everyone was staring at. I followed their gaze to my bag on the floor, absolutely teeming with the orange aliens. _Ohhh fuck._ I lept up from my chair in horror, not really knowing what to say. I didn't have to think of anything, though, since the classroom door flew open. An expressionless Rick marched towards me, grabbing my wrist and dragging me out of the room. He hadn't noticed the creatures on the floor, and I didn't have time to tell him before he was pulling me through a portal in the school corridor. 

I crashed into him on the other side of the portal, realising quickly that we were on our street. I looked around in horror as the entire neighborhood was crawling with the adorable little aliens. More were appearing by the minute, I even managed to witness it happen; they were spitting sacks of goo that rapidly evolved into furry balls, each one multiplying four or five times before they became the fully formed alien. And this was happening everywhere, hundreds were being made at any given moment, and the rate only increased as more were appearing. My stomach sank as I looked up at Rick. He didn't look particularly angry, he just stared at me with his usual unimpressed frown, arms crossed. He sighed and rolled his eyes, pulling out a ray gun, firing it off at a few clusters of fur. He didn't even look like he was putting much effort into it, not even aiming straight.

“You know, Morty. I've been doing this for an hour now. They were confined to the house when I started, and all this-” he gestured to the entire street. “has happened in that time. You see what I'm saying? They're reproducing a hell of a lot faster than I can kill them, Morty.” His voice unnerved me. He sounded way too calm. “Looks like they're reproducing asexually. And not only that, they're regenerative. My weapons only down them for a couple seconds, then they heal themselves. I even knifed one, Morty. Cut it right down the middle. All it did was make two of the fu-urghh-ckers.”

“I-I-I-I’m sorry Rick! I didn't know this was-” I started, following as he strolled up to the house, into the garage.

“Of course you didn't, Morty.” He sighed and interrupted me. “I didn't either. That's why I said y-you couldn't keep it. I didn't know anything about this particular species, so instead of fucking with it, I left it well alone. This, this is what happens when you don't listen to grandpa, Morty.” He explained, going to workstation and picking up the Interdimensional Goggles that lay there, flicking off the couple of creatures that clung to them.

“Are you angry?” I asked, standing beside him. He looked down at me for a second, thinking.

“No, Morty. Just Disa-disappointed.” He said. 

“Ohhh, come on, man! Y-you know that's way worse! Can't you just yell at me?” I pleaded, grabbing the sleeve of his coat when he put the goggles on, pressing buttons on a little remote. “Grandpa?” I asked, shaking his arm. He didn't answer, continuing to concentrate on whatever it was he was doing. I felt a lump rise in my throat, and tears spring up in my eyes. I rubbed them away, sniffing. I crossed my arms over my chest and waited patiently.

“Alright, come on.” Rick finally said, pulling the goggles off and tucking them under his arm as he whipped out his portal gun.

“Wh-where are we going?” I asked, wiping away the stray tears that wouldn't fuck off out of my eyes. He wordlessly opened up a portal, and pulled me through it. I stepped out into… our garage. Our perfectly normal-looking, alien-free garage.

“Y-you and I are in space, about to get sucked into a black-hole, Morty. So we won't have to bury any bodies this time.” Rick said, setting down his portal gun and goggles on the workbench. I blinked at him, confused. Then it hit me.

“No… n-no, we're not- I only just got used to the last dimension!” I exclaimed. “I only just started feeling like mom was my mom, and Summer was my sister and w-w-we're just gonna leave them there to rot again?” I raised my voice, marching over to him.

“They'll be fine, Morty. Those things are harmless. They-they’ll learn to live with them. Or something… j-j-just forget about it Morty. How many times do I have to tell you to not think about this stuff? And hey, listen, there's a bonus, Morty.” He turned to look at me, placing a hand on my shoulder.

“What?” I asked, sulking.

“I picked this universe 'cause I never made Snuffles’ helmet here. You've still got your dog, Morty. You wanted a pet, right? Snuffles is here, Morty.” He told me, patting my shoulder, an encouraging little smile on his face.

“Really?” I asked, feeling my face light up a little despite myself.

“Really. G-go play with him, kid. Try to forget about it.” He said and I glanced over at the door to the house. I knew I should protest, try to convince him to go back and help me sort my mess out… but I didn't. I silently made my way over to the door, pausing on the way out.

“Rick… why are you so calm about all this?” I asked, staring at his back. 

“I don't know, Morty, maybe ‘cause I half expected you to ignore me and keep your little pet anyway. Maybe because I'm realising that you're growing up and I actually have little control over what you do.” He said, then paused for a long time. “But it's probably because I had a one night stand with this chick who turned out to be a total bunny-boiler. Would not leave me alone, Morty. Th-this looked like the best solution for both of our problems.”


	2. New World

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to let you know the tilde symbol (little wiggly line ~) will be used to signal that the POV has changed to a different character :)

“H-how you holding up, kid?” I asked, turning away from the TV to face Morty, who'd barely said a word since we arrived. He returned my gaze, eyes lidded and tired.

“I-I-I don't know Rick. I think I need a break from all this.” He answered, and I nodded my head, taking a swig from the bottle of beer in my hand. Morty looked down at the dog on his lap, scratching him behind the ear.

“Alright, Morty. We can take it easy for a little wh-ughh-ile.” I said, dragging my sleeve over my mouth. Morty nodded, picking Snuffles up and placing him down on the sofa between us.

“I'm- I'm gonna go lie down for a bit. Maybe take a nap or somethin’.” He sighed, raising to his feet. I watched as he dragged himself upstairs. I turned my attention to the dog, patting him on the head idly. I drained the rest of my beer, and it wasn't long before I craved something stronger, and I heaved myself up and entered the kitchen, reaching to the back of my cupboard for the half empty bottle of vodka that I was glad to find there. This dimension really was identical to our own. 

I isolated myself in the garage, locking the door to the house behind me, and opening up the large door to the outside world. The normal, peaceful, non-infested world. I dragged a hand through my hair and seated myself at my workstation, uncapping the vodka and taking a long, deep pull from it. The stuff didn't even burn anymore. Barely touched my taste buds. I looked down at the Interdimensional Goggles on the workbench. I still hadn't managed to get my modifications to work, and it was starting to piss me off.

A shadow bled over the equipment in front of me, and I glanced up to see a girl standing in the driveway, watching me with her hands clasped behind her back. She couldn't have been much older than her early twenties, I didn't recognise her, and my brain made an assumptive leap as I addressed her.

“Summer's upstairs, if you're here to see her.” I said, turning back to the desk and pushing the goggles aside. I pulled a pen and note pad out, jotting down a new plan for the addon. I'd managed to get it to work to a certain extent, able to access the most recent few memories of alternate versions of myself. It was how I'd managed to pick this reality, it had all looked pretty familiar when I did my brief bit of research. The addon still needed work though, for it to be of any real use.

“Summer?” The girl said, after a silence so long I thought she'd gone. “I love your grandkids, Rick. They're great. But, why would I be here for Summer?” She asked, and when I looked at her again, she was giving me a strange look. She approached me, leaning her hands on the desk perpendicular to the one I was sat at. 

My eyes scanned her for any sign of familiarity, over her body, her face. No bells were ringing, and for a moment, I panicked. If she was of any significance, the headset had still failed to show me.

“I'm here to see you, as always. What are you working on?” She asked me, walking around the outcrop of the desk to stand beside me. She leaned her hip against the desk, standing uncomfortably close. She picked up the goggles, inspecting them before placing them back down. “That looks like some sort of VR thing.”

“Uhh, it is, in a way.” I said, watching the girl cautiously. She smiled down at me, questions in her eyes. 

“Interesting. I didn't take you for a gamer, Rick. Or, or is this some kind of spying device. One that gets into people's heads and lets you see through someone else's eyes?” She gave me an amused look, and I wondered just how much she knew about me. I wasn't entirely sure if she was joking and just got lucky, or if she actually knew about the kind of things I'd been working on. I found it unnerving that I didn't have the faintest idea who she was, yet she rocks up acting like she's known me all her life.

“Don't ask. I-I-It’s complicated.” I dismissed her, raising to my feet and stuffing my notebook into my pocket.

“I’m sure it is. Your work always fascinates me, Rick.” She said, craning her neck to look at my face, not bothering to step out of my personal space. I wasn't going to lie, this didn't exactly upset me. Whoever she was, she was attractive. Once the thought crossed my mind, I immediately sent out a silent prayer to no one in particular, that she wasn't a second granddaughter or something to this dimension’s Rick that I overlooked when researching this place. 

That possibility, I realized, was unlikely, since she slid a hand up to the back of my head, and pulled me down to her level. It took me a second to react, and her lips were just a few centimeters away from mine when I stumbled back out of her grip. I noticed a look of hurt on her face at this, and immediately held a hand out towards her.

“I-I-I-I just gotta, gotta do something. Y-y-you stay here. Or don't… I don't care, I just…” I trailed off, backing away. She took a timid step to follow me, before stopping. I let myself into the house, and raced upstairs, bursting into Morty's room.

“Huh?” Morty mumbled as I shook him awake. He rubbed his eyes and sat up. “W-what's up Rick? Everything okay?” He asked, and I didn't really know what to say. Part of me wanted to say no, definitely not, everything is not okay. And the other, slightly more perverted side of me wanted to give him a high five and tell him we'd walked in on a gold mine.

“There-There’s this chick downstairs Morty, I-I have no idea who the fuck she is. But she tried to kiss me, Morty.” I told him, gripping his shoulders and watching his eyes go wide.

“I-I-I don't know what you want me to say, Rick. Is that- is that a good thing? Bad?” He asked, and I almost laughed.

“Who knows, Morty? I didn't- didn't pick up on any major differences between this world and our own, but if I've got a twenty-something year old girlfriend, that's a pretty big fucking difference. This could fuck up the whole thing, Morty.” I explained, and he stared up at me with worried eyes.

“What are you saying, Grandpa, should we leave?” He asked, and I looked down. The temptation to take advantage of the situation was making itself known, but I didn't have time to respond.

“Are you guys okay?” The lady from downstairs was now standing in the doorway, staring between the two of us with a concerned frown. I felt Morty go rigid.

“Miss (y/sn)!” He exclaimed in surprise, and my eyes shot back to him. The girl laughed.

“Morty. I think you can call me (y/n) outside of school.” I heard her say, at least I knew her damn name now.

“(y/n), can you give us like, five minutes?” I asked, looking over my shoulder at her. She regarded me with suspicion, but strolled away. A few moments of silence fell, then Morty started freaking out.

“That's my teacher, Rick!” He shouted, looking at me in horror and disgust.

“Don't look at me! I'm not the guy who did this!” I yelled back, shaking him a little. “Some fucking Rick I've replaced, huh?”

“Oh jeez. What the hell kind of Morty have I replaced?” He asked, covering his face with his hands and shaking his head, groaning. 

“Listen, Morty. Get it together. This isn't the e-urrh-nd of the world.” I told him, trying a softer tone.

“Yeah, you would say that.” Morty shook his head, pushing me off of him and standing up.

“What's that supposed to mean, Morty?” I narrowed my eyes at the kid, and he rolled his own.

“Don't try to pretend you aren't loving this! You-y-you know what, I wouldn't be sus-surprised if you planned this.” He accused, and that pissed me off.

“Fuck off. You think I did this on purpose? You're a bigger idiot than I thought.” I snapped. “I’m gonna think of something to fix this Morty, for now, just… tell me a bit about her.” 

Morty crossed his arms and sighed, frowning. “She's my art teacher. An-and she's way too nice to be with you, Rick. Are you sure she tried to kiss you?” He asked.

“That's something you tend to notice, Morty. Tell me more.” 

“I don't know a lot… she's just my teacher. She likes animals, I guess? She paints them a lot. And I-I know she volunteers at the soup kitchen most weekends. Like I said, Grandpa, she's nice.” He narrowed his eyes at me. “I don't think you should be messing with her.”

“I'm not gonna mess with her, Morty.” I assured him, sitting on the edge of his bed and raking a hand through my hair. “I'm gonna talk to her, try and figure out just how serious this thing was between her and… other Rick. Maybe I'll-I’ll break up with her or something. We'll see what happens.” I shrugged. 

“Yeah. Sure. Go _see what happens_.” He shook his head at me. “Jeez.” He sighed. It wasn't worth my effort to argue, so with a final roll of my eyes, I left him to it. 

~

I waited patiently on the sofa, not really watching what was on the TV. Rick hadn't been acting himself, and that worried me. He would never dodge a kiss, and he certainly wouldn't run away from me like that. Sure, having secrets with Morty that he didn't want to involve me in was pretty normal, but his behavior was out of the ordinary. Rick not being Rick was… never a good thing. 

“Oh, hi (y/n). Are you staying for dinner tonight? I'm going to make lasagna.” Beth said as she entered the room, magazine in hand. I looked up at her and smiled. Beth had been weirded out by Rick and I’s relationship in the beginning, considering I'm younger than her. She soon warmed up to me though, admitting that I'd become a 'good influence’ on her father and that Morty's grades had gone through the roof since Rick had stopped dragging him out of school so often. I didn't tell her that the only reason Morty was staying in school was because I'd bribed Rick with make-out sessions in the art supplies cupboard at the school whenever I had a free period.

“Thank you, Beth. I'd like that.” I nodded. “I'll give you a hand later.” She smiled appreciatively as she took a seat beside me on the couch.

“You don't have to do that. Though… I'm not gonna lie. That would be nice.” Her smile turned sheepish.

“I don't mind helping, in fact I think it'd enjoy it.” I chuckled.

“Thank you. It's nice to have someone showing an interest in helping out around the house.” She breathed. I looked up as a figure appeared in the doorway. Rick stared between Beth and I, seeming surprised to see us together.

“(y/n), can I, uh, talk to you for a minute?” He asked, and I nodded. My chest felt tight, and I began to feel a little nervous as I stood up and followed him. He led me to his room, to my surprise, and sat down on his bed. I glanced around the room, at all the pictures and notes pinned up on his walls, before my eyes settled back on him.

“What's up?” I asked, squeezing my palms together in front of me. He studied me for a moment, thinking of what to say.

“S-sorry for acting weird.” He finally said. “Morty and I, we-w-we’ve had a crazy couple’ days, things are a little messed up for us…” he trailed off and paused, frowning subtly. “Tell me, (y/n). How exactly do you, do you feel about me?” He asked, and I raised my brows.

“Wow, Rick. That's a weird question. I would've thought you didn't need to ask me that.” I took a few timid steps into the room, picking up a gadget from his desk, looking at the strange, cylindrical object before setting it down again.

“Yeah, well. I just wanna, y’ know. Make things clear.” He told me, still watching me with this strange look in his eye.

“Okay. Well, you know I always blush saying these things out loud. Perhaps I should just show you instead.” I said, my back to him.

“N-no, just… you can say it.” He stuttered, sounding nervous. I turned to face him and sighed.

“I'll say this.” I started. “I probably enjoy your company a lot more than you think I do.” I admitted. “And I really don't know why you're bringing this up, like we're school kids with tiny crushes. We've been together for like, six months.”

“Six months?” He exclaimed in shock, then composed himself. “That long, huh? Feels like less time, you know?” He laughed sheepishly. I smiled.

“It does.” I approached him, placing my hands on his shoulders and looking down at him. “You're tense.” I pointed out, kneading his shoulders.

“Am I?” He asked, eyes briefly dropping to my chest, which was currently at eye level for him. I smirked, sliding my fingers through his blue-grey locks. I pushed forward, crawling on top of him so I was straddling his thighs on the bed. His breathing hitched and his eyes darted around the room in a show of panic. His cheeks turned a rosy colour.

“Relax, Rick. You're acting like we've never done this before.” I whispered, stroking his hair gently, feeling him relax into my touch. I pressed forward, kissing the crease between his neck and shoulder. He made a small sound, I couldn't tell if it was of pleasure or disapproval, so I pulled back to look at him. His eyes were hazy, turned on, but there was a layer of hesitation there. I gingerly leaned in for a kiss, his lips were relaxed and loose, not really responding to mine. I tilted my head, deepening the kiss, flicking my tongue against his lower lip. At that, he responded, groaning softly and kissing back, his hands moving to my lower back.

I moved forwards on my knees, placing my hips closer to his, crushing our bodies together as the kiss became more intense. Rick's hands moved down to my backside, urging me closer. My breath picked up, and I knotted my fingers in his hair tightly, tugging just a little, how I knew he liked. He moaned quietly. It spurred me on, and I thrust my hips into his, my body coming into contact with his half-hard cock, pressing into the front of his pants. The dress I was wearing rode up, and the thin cotton of my underwear did nothing to block the sensation of his arousal rubbing up against me as he subtly ground his hips upwards. I let out a shallow whimper, breaking the kiss and leaning my head back. 

“Rick.” I sighed, looking down at him. His eyes were glued to mine, watching me like I was the only thing that mattered in the world. I slid one hand down his chest, falling lower, tugging his shirt up to free it from being tucked into his pants. I slipped my hand underneath, resting it against his bare chest, feeling his heart hammering away. “Do… do that thing I like.” I whispered, and he froze.

“W-which thing?” He finally asked after a period of silence, and I laughed. I brought my hand to my hair, gathering it up and pulling it to the side to expose my neck to him. He stared at me for a while before leaning in and planting a series of kisses on the exposed flesh. I sighed and let my eyes fall closed. 

“Do it, Rick.” I pleaded, I normally didn't even have to ask once, let alone twice. He paused his movements again. “Mark me as your own.” I groaned. He did it then, sucking on the side of my neck. I grinned, letting out a shaky breath. My neck was sensitive, and any attention there felt unbearably pleasurable. Nothing beat a love-bite in my book. I rocked my hips rhythmically as he worked, bringing his cock to full attention in no time.

“Is that good, baby?” He whispered once he pulled back to admire his handy work. I nodded my head and kissed him again, pushing my tongue into his mouth, tasting him, playing a game of twister with his tongue. I slid my hand further down his front, undoing his belt and fly with one, well-practiced hand. Under the waistband my hand went, and I touched him, squeezing him gently, stroking him from base to tip. Rick shuddered, crying out into my mouth. I couldn't resist any longer. I removed myself from him for only a second to pull my underwear off, dropping them on the ground before I straddled him again. I didn't even bother stripping any more of our clothes off, I simply took a fistful of him and guided him to my opening. I sunk down, taking him to the hilt in one, quick downward sweep of my hips. Rick cursed loudly, his hands clutching at the fabric of my dress behind me.

“Mm, I'll never get used to this.” I gasped, savouring the moment.

“I don't think I w-will either.” He agreed breathlessly with a chuckle. I moved, bouncing up and down at a moderate pace. I cupped his face, looking at him and breathing little huffs against his lips. 

“I love you.” I sighed, hugging him tightly and burying my forehead in his shoulder.

“Y-you do?” He seemed surprised. I nodded my head and picked up the pace and chased the pleasure that built up and up. In the moment, I didn't even care that he didn't say it back.

“Hnng, fuck.” I huffed, straightening up and kissing him as we made love. He moved his hand around to my front, sliding it under my dress and rubbing my clit in circles. I shook all over, my heart pounding. This was going to be over quickly, but I didn't care.

“H-hold on.” He said, wrapping his arm around my waist and hoisting us further up on the bed. He leaned back on his elbow, using the new position to thrust up into me, meeting my own hips as I brought them down. His other hand still worked wonderfully on my sensitive spot.

“Ohh, god. I never want this to end.” I cried, pulling my dress down, letting the straps slide down my arms. The thin white bra I wore was pulled down too, but by Rick. I watched as he feasted his eyes on my bare chest, breasts bouncing with each meeting of our bodies.

“Jeeesus. Did I die? H-how the fuck am I in heaven?” He laughed breathlessly, a huge grin on his face. He grabbed my shoulders and pulled me down, so my chest was flush with his. He moved his hips in a slightly different way to compensate for the angle, and he brushed against the hot spot inside me beautifully. My clit pressed against his pubic bone, and I felt awash with stimulation. 

Rick kept his impressive pace, and every passing moment brought me close to my climax, and when it finally came over me, it was eye-wateringly intense. I must've been loud, if my sore throat was anything to go by, and it was only a short few thrusts later that Rick was spilling inside me, grunting and cursing all the way. Our bodies slowly stilled, resting against each other as we caught our breath. 

We laid together for a few minutes, and I was the one to move first. I shifted my hips, allowing his softening member to slide out of me, before I pressed a number of kisses to his lips. I smiled at him, before crawling off of him and redressing myself. Rick, on the other hand, made no move to do the same. He laid there with his arm thrown over his eyes. I watched the rise and fall of his chest slowly become shallower, less laboured.

“I said I'd help Beth with dinner.” I told him quietly, and he nodded, not moving his arm. I leaned down and gave him a peck on the jaw before raising to my feet, and leaving the room.


	3. Digging a Deeper Hole

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of an uneventful chapter, but I hope you like it all the same :)

I helped Beth cook dinner, and she seemed to appreciate the help. It occurred to me that maybe she didn't get an awful lot of help in the kitchen, but I quite enjoyed cooking anyway, I didn't think of it as a chore to help. Rick stayed locked away in his room the entire time I was in the kitchen. I thought it was odd, but chalked it up to fatigue. He had mentioned having an overwhelming couple of days, so I tried not to be too concerned. 

He emerged only when dinner was ready, and the whole family assembled around the table. I took up my usual seat next to Summer, opposite Rick. The young girl greeted me without looking up from her phone. I was surprised to see Jerry at the table, since I'd been under the impression that he and Beth were going through some difficulties. Rick hadn't said a lot about it, but I knew that Jerry hadn't been living with the rest of the family for a while.

Rick looked like he was purposely avoiding my eye contact, to my confusion. I thought I'd met the end of his strange behavior after our time together in his room, but it seems I was wrong. Morty glanced between the two of us, curiosity written all over his features. When he caught my eye, he smiled and looked away sheepishly.

“Morty, how's school going? I spoke to Mr. Goldenfold the other day. He said you're doing well in his math class.” I said. He seemed to shrink under the attention.

“Yeah, I-I mean, it's going- going okay.” He said, wringing his fingers together in front of him.

“It's going more than okay, Morty. You haven't dropped below a B all semester.” Beth said, dishing up the lasagna, passing plates around the table.

“I-I haven't? Wow, that's…” he trailed off, laughing nervously.

“Like you don't know.” Beth shook her head and chuckled. “No need to act so humble, Morty. You can be proud of yourself.”

“Looks like spending some time in school has really done wonders, huh Rick?” Jerry said snidely, and Rick regarded him with a disinterested gaze.

“Don't start making snide remarks, Jerry. I invited you over as a goodwill gesture and so you could see the kids, not so you could wind up my father.” Beth sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

“It's okay, Beth. Yeah, I guess it has, Jerry. Now Morty'll get a nice piece of paper to show everyone how allegedly smart he is. That's g-ugh-reat Morty.” Rick said dryly, and I frowned at him.

“Come on, Rick, Morty's worked hard for those grades. Show some pride.” I said, and Rick just sighed in irritation. 

“Well done Morty. Y-you're really showing the system who-who’s boss.” Rick glanced at his grandson, and Morty smiled. It wasn't much, and was dripping in sarcasm, but it was the best he'd get from Rick.

The family ate in mostly silence after that, the only conversation being the odd piece of standard chit-chat thrown across the table. After dinner, Rick retried to the garage to do god knows what. Morty and Summer were washing the dishes, Beth and Jerry had disappeared, most likely talking through their latest disagreement. I was left hanging around the dining table like a spare part, unsure about what to do with myself. So, I did the only thing I really could do. I pulled out the sketchbook I always carried around in my bag, and started doodling to pass the time. 

I was on my third page of sketches when Morty wandered in. He looked over my shoulder, inspecting the quick little drawings of birds on my page. There was once a time that people looking at my art would embarrass me, but two years of teaching the subject had done that out of me.

“Wow, they're pretty good, uh, (y/n).” He told me. Pulling up a chair beside me.

“It's Mr. Blue.” I told him without thinking, and quickly felt my cheeks go pink. “Oh. I guess I should explain. There's a blue jay who visits my garden every day, I put seeds and mealworms out for him. I even managed to get him to eat out of my hand once, which was amazing… anyway, he's like my little friend. Is that weird?” 

“I don't think so. Animals make cool li-little buddies. Well, some do.” He chuckled, flushing for some reason.

“He's one of the bluest blue jays I've seen. He sits and waits for me on the fence in the morning, so I can put his breakfast out.” I laughed. “But, then again, there could be a whole bunch of them who look exactly the same, maybe they're fooling me into giving them affection.” I admitted. Morty stared at me for a moment, wide eyed like I'd said something worrying. After a moment though, he seemed to relax. He laughed a little.

“I-I doubt that. It probably is the same bird.” He shrugged. I watched him carefully as he stared at my drawings, chewing on my lip as I did.

“Morty, how're you doing? Rick told me about these last couple of days.” I asked gently, and he kept his eyes fixed on the page.

“So h-he did tell you.” He said, and peered up at me timidly. “I didn't think he was going to.”

“Tell me what? He just said they've been a little crazy. I thought, maybe you're struggling and might need someone to talk to.” I explained and he seemed to realise something.

“Oh! Oh, nothing. There's nothing really to tell.” He laughed sheepishly. “Adventures with Rick are… are adventures with Rick. They can get a little out of h-hand sometimes. Well, most times.” He said.

“I can imagine.” I nodded.

“He-he said we can take a break though…” he shrugged. “So he spoke to you, huh? Is everything, um, okay between you two?” 

I sighed and leaned back in my chair, looking down at my sketches. “I don't know. He's acting weird.”

“He is?” 

“Yeah. I feel like he's avoiding me, kind of. Like he doesn't really want to be around me.” I told him. Honestly, I felt a little weird talking to his grandson about this, but Morty knew Rick better than anyone. Maybe he'd have some idea what was going on with him. “Has he said anything to you?” I looked up at him.

“No, he hasn't. R-Rick doesn't really tell me much about, you know.” He trailed off with an awkward shrug. “But that's not cool, ma-maybe you should be talking to Rick about this. I don't wanna say anything to like, mess anything up.”

“You're right. I'm sorry, Morty. I shouldn't drag you into this stuff.” I shook my head.

“No, I don't mind. I-I-I know my grandpa can be pretty difficult to deal with.” He offered me a little smile. “And, by the way, I-I wanna say thanks for sticking up for me at dinner. W-with the whole grades thing. It's nice to hear some praise, you know? Even if I don't really know how my grades went up.” 

“You're a bright kid, Morty. Don't let people make you think otherwise. Even if they're related to you.” I gave him a direct look, and he nodded his head in understanding.

“I'm gonna go talk to Rick. I have a, uh, science thing I need to ask him.” Mory said, scooting his chair out and leaving the room. I watched him leave with a lingering smile on my face, before turning back to my sketch book.

~

There was a knock at the garage door. I sighed, placing my mini-welder down on the desk and calling out; “Who is it?”

“I-its me.” That feeble voice could belong to nobody else, and I crossed the room to let him in. I locked the door behind Morty, heading back to my workstation. “Grandpa, I don't think we should be doing this.” He said, standing a few feet behind me as I pulled the welding mask over my face and continued working on my new Interdimensional goggles. I'd had to start from scratch after running into a few problems that may or may not have caused them to explode. Luckily, they weren't strapped to my face at the time.

“Why? You haven't stuck your foot in it w-with (y/n) already, have you?” I replied, rolling my eyes.

“No, Rick. I was speaking to her. S-she's already pretty upset, she knows something's up.” I glanced over at Morty, sighing heavily when I noticed him squinting at the work I was doing.

“If you're gonna stand there and watch what I'm doing, M-ourgh-ty, wear this.” I shoved a second mask into his hands, and he pulled it over his face. “You're a fucking danger to yourself, kid.”

“Did you hear what I said?” His tone got snappy, and I continued working with gritted teeth. I didn't need Morty's whining right now. I'd already gone and made a mistake today, which I was not happy about.

I hadn't thought about sleeping with her. Not for one second. Well, actually, I had thought about it. I just hadn't planned on following through with it. But when she approached me like she did, what was a man to do? I gave in, sure it was dumb and reckless, but it happened, and I needed to get over it. More importantly, I needed to make sure it didn't happen again.

Having said that, though. I had to admit that it was fucking fantastic. She was so young and attractive and really knew what I liked. Of course she did, she'd been fucking me for six months, apparently. I didn't regret it. Sure, it'd make things a little more complicated down the line, and might have just made doing the right thing a lot more difficult, but it was worth it. Whether it was ethical or not.

“I heard you, Morty. What do you want me to do about it?” I grumbled, placing down the welder to inspect my work.

“I don't know… I think maybe we should tell her the truth. A r-rip the band-aid off, type thing.” He suggested, and I shook my head.

“She'll probably tell the whole family, if we do that. The idea is, we slip into this reality seamlessly, it's not ideal for people to know we don't belo-ugh-ng here.” I explained, pulling my mask off and looking him in the eye when he did the same.

“So then, you need to do what you said you were gonna do. You need to br-break up with her, Rick. Th-this isn't fair.” He crossed his arms and frowned at me.

“I will, I will, Morty. Jesus. I'm just biding my time, waiting for the right moment. We've only been here a day, Morty.” I said, and the kid just continued to frown at me. “What? I can't just do it out of the blue. I don't know what their relationship was like.” I shrugged.

“You're not thinking of-of,” he glanced around the room, trying to find the right phrasing. “Taking advantage of the situation, are you? Cause that'd be, you know that'd be pretty fucked up, right?” 

I stared at the kid wide eyed for a few moments, then turned away and covered my face with the mask when I felt my cheeks heat up. I tried not to let on to the fact that I'd already done exactly that. Morty really didn't need to know about that.

“Of course not. What do you take me for? You little shit.” I growled. “I'm trying to concentrate here. Just, just be quiet, or get out.” 

“Alright.” He sighed, taking a pew beside me and watching me work in silence.

There was another knock on the door after a while, and I gestured for Morty to go and get it. He pulled the door open, and just as I expected, (y/n) walked in. I glanced at her over my shoulder. She had a sketchbook tucked under her arm and she looked at me like she was in trouble, all concerned and nervous. I turned to face her and waited for her to speak, placing the welding mask down on the bench beside me.

“Uh, I'm gonna head home now.” She said, glancing out of the garage door. I realised it was later than I thought, it was dark out by now. 

“Alright.” I simply said, turning to face the bench again. There was an awkward silence.

“Um, Rick? It's pretty dark. Maybe you should… walk her home?” Morty said, and I wanted to throttle him. I really didn't want to be left alone with this girl, not after what I'd let happen earlier. “It'll give you time alone to talk, or whatever.” He added, an edge to his voice. Nice. He thought I was gonna use this as an opportunity to dump her. I rolled my eyes.

“Fine. Gr-great idea, Morty.” I said, narrowing my eyes at him as I headed out the garage door. Quick, dainty footsteps came from behind, catching up with me. (Y/n) fell into step beside me, staring down at the ground as she did.

We were quiet for a while. It didn't feel awkward, just… heavy. I stole a glance at her, and she was clutching her sketchbook to her stomach, her thumbs fidgeting along the edge of it. I stared back ahead, realising I wasn't even sure where I was going. Yeah. Great fucking idea Morty. I slowed down a little, letting her take the lead slightly.

“So, been doing some drawings? Some little, uh, little sketches there?” I asked, just to make conversation. She nodded, opening up the book and flipping through as she walked.

“I didn't have anything better to do, so…” she said, and she sounded a little annoyed, even though it was clear she was attempting to hide it. She showed me her drawings, and I glanced at them with a neutral expression.

“Birds. Nice.” I said, clearing my throat. “You like your animals, don't you?” 

“Yeah.” She breathed, snapping the book closed and tucking it under her arm.

“You, uh, you okay?” I asked, kind of wishing I hadn't when she looked up and met my eyes.

“No.” She answered. “Not really. I came to see you today, and you spent all of ten minutes with me. You asked me some weird questions about how I, how I felt about you then-”

“You don't have to tell me what happened, sweetie. I was there.” I winced, trying to forget about it.

“Then you avoided me for the rest of the day.” She continued, narrowing her eyes.

“I'm not- I wasn't avo-ugh-iding you. I was just busy.” I snapped, brow mashing down over my eyes. 

“Whatever.” She looked away, a little pout on her face. “I just get the feeling something has happened. Something you aren't telling me.”

“Like- like what?” I asked. 

“I don't know Rick. Everything was going great and then-” she stopped and shook her head. “I thought, I dunno, maybe you met someone else.” She shrugged.

“Wait, you think I'm cheat-cheating on you? (Y/n), w-wh-what are you implying?” I stopped and turned to face her. I had no idea why I was actually getting offended over this. For starters, I wasn't even actually in a relationship with the girl. Not only that, I was meant to be breaking off this fake relationship, but suddenly I was defending myself when she handed me the opportunity on a silver platter.

“Well, you go all funny all of a sudden, backing away when I go to kiss you as if I'm… diseased or something. Then you're telling me you've had a crazy couple of days? What does that even mean?” she raised her voice, feigning anger when I saw tears spring up in her eyes. I suddenly felt a spark of something in my chest, something rare, unpleasant. I felt guilty.

“It's not… not like that.” Was all I could think to say. “I'm not doing- that's not happening. Don't worry.” 

“Rick. You aren't acting yourself, if something is going on, whatever it is, just tell me.” She pleaded, a sadness in her eyes that felt over the top to me, considering I'd only known her for a day. I had to remind myself that in her world, she'd known me for months. Maybe even years. But that wasn't me. I opened my mouth to tell her. To tell her the truth.

“Nothing, sweetheart. Everything is- it's all okay.” I found myself saying. I pulled her into a hug, resting my chin on the top of her head. I wanted to punch myself in the face. I didn't know what possessed me to lie, to comfort her. But here I was. “I'm just stressed out, I'll try to… be myself again.”


	4. Chemical Reaction

It was Thursday afternoon, and I'd offered to take Morty home from school, since I was headed to the Smith house anyway. So we were sat in my car, waiting in traffic, and Morty was staring out the window. I glanced over at him, watching him fiddle with the hem of his t-shirt as he gazed at shop windows and passers by. 

“Rick came home in a better mood the other night. I g-guess you guys talked it out, huh?” He said, surprising me. The boy sounded something close to annoyed. “He wouldn't tell me about it.”

“Well, we did talk. I don't know if everything is okay, but yeah. Things are… better.” I shrugged, turning back to the road when the traffic lights finally turned green.

“You know, my grandpa isn't all that g-great, Miss (y/sn).” He started, and I didn't bother asking him to call me by my first name. “You could probably do a lot, lot better.”

I balked, eyes widening as I looked over at him. He wasn't even looking at me as he spoke. Morty had always been pretty quiet, never spoke out of turn. He was the politest fourteen year old I'd ever met, to the point where I always thought he could afford to be a bit more assertive. I never expected to hear something like this come out of his mouth.

“Wow. Where did that come from?” I asked, looking back at the road.

“No-nowhere in particular. I just think maybe you'd be happier if, if…” he paused. “If you broke up with him. S-s-seems to me like he causes you more upset than g-good.” 

“Why're you saying this, Morty?” I narrowed my eyes, pulling up outside the Smith house.

Morty finally looked at me, crossing his arms over his chest and sinking down in his seat. “If y-you think you know Rick, you don't.” My eyes lingered on his face for a while before I took a deep breath.

“I'm gonna keep what you said to myself. I won't tell Rick.” I said quietly, calmly. “You might be right about that, but Morty, honey… you don't know anything about mine and Rick's relationship.” I added, then got out of the car.

“Neither does he.” I heard him say, and I leaned down to look at him though with window with a confused frown on my face. He opened the door and got out, looking over the roof of the car at me. “W-why don't you ask him about how, how you met.” He suggested, before walking towards the house. 

“What the hell?” I said to myself, frowning deeply. I had no idea what he could possibly mean by that. I shook his words from my mind and approached the open garage door, where Rick was working inside. I smiled as I approached him. He was tinkering with the same device he'd been working on the other night; it looked a lot closer to being finished. “Hey, Rick. I thought I'd drop Morty off from school. How's your… VR thing going?” I gestured to the headset.

“I’m almost there. Jus-just a few more tweaks to the Protonic Impulse Inhibitor component and we-we’re golden.” He said. “Last time I tried this I used a _Catalytic_ Omnicharger instead of Generic. Biiiig mistake.” He chuckled.

“Oopsie?” I said. Rick always sounded extremely intelligent when he threw around his technological garb. He could be making shit up off the top of his head and I'd eat up every word in awe.

“You wanna know why it didn't work?” He asked, focusing more on his work than on my non-existent reply. Rick was in his 'zone’. I'd seen it many times before. “Catalytic Omnichargers should only be used when a Neutronic Endo-Capacitor is present. Otherwise it's way too powerful. It completely overloaded the Multiphasic Cooling Unit. Caused one bitch of an exothermic reaction, made the whole thing explode. Moral of the story? Pay attention to your mistakes, sweetheart. You can learn a lot from 'em.”

“Well, it's all so obvious when you put it like that.” I smirked, taking a seat on the outcrop of the 'L’ shaped desk. He looked up at me, leaning his palm against the desk.

“Is it, now?” He raised a brow. “Explain to me what I j-ughh-st said.” He challenged.

“Well clearly you used a power supply too powerful for the cooling component. And with nothing to stem the flow of, uh, electricity, it created a surge of some kind that, that, rapidly heated the device up, causing an explosion.” I hazarded a guess. Rick stared, eyes unblinking and expression emotionless.

“A-plus for effort. That was about eight percent correct.” He smirked.

“Woah, that high? I think that's a new record.” I laughed. “Listen, I came over to ask you something.” I said.

“Go on.” He said suspiciously, eyeing me up.

“I just wondered if you wanted to spend a couple of nights at mine. Thought we could do with some time to ourselves.” I suggested, fingers fidgeting in my lap when he didn't respond right away.

“Uhh, thing is, I-I got a lot going on here. Lots of projects to be doing- getting on with.” He said, looking away and scratching at the back of his neck. I tried not to be too disappointed, but it was no use. I looked down at my hands and nodded.

“Okay. That's fine.” I said. Rick was quiet, but I suddenly felt a hand on my shoulder.

“I can manage one night.” He said, a smile quickly broke across my face. 

“Tonight?” I asked, and he nodded. I reached for his hand, pulling him close to me. I moved in for a kiss, and he only hesitated for a split second before kissing me back. I wrapped my legs around his waist, pinning him close. He ran his fingers through my hair, leaning into me.

“Grandpa Rick, mom wanted me to ask if-” I heard Morty's voice carry through the door to the house before it was pushed open. He stopped mid-sentence, staring slack-jawed between Rick and I. His eyes lingered on the man between my legs, filled with disappointment, before he cursed to himself and stormed out the room. 

“What was that about? It's not like he's never seen us kiss before.” I frowned. Rick wriggled out of my grip and dropped down into the chair behind him with a sigh.

“Fuck knows. The kid's fourteen, maybe he-he's developed some weird little crush on you, or wha-ough-tever.” Rick waved his hand dismissively, looking irritated.

“God, you don't really think so, do you?” I asked, pulling a face. “He was saying some strange things earlier… never mind.” I said, remembering that I'd told him I wouldn't tell Rick.

“Like what?” His head shot up.

“Nothing. I'm getting ahead of myself. Maybe he's worried I'm keeping you away from him. It's been a few days since you spent any real time with him.” I pointed out. Rick thought about that for a while.

“I'll take him somewhere tomorrow. After school.” He finally said. “Have a talk with him.”

“Alright.” I nodded, watching as he resumed work on his device. “That stuff you were explaining, uh, sounded pretty complicated for a VR system. That's not what it is, is it?” I asked. 

“Not exactly.” He simply said. 

“So what is it?” I asked. Rick tweaked something with a screwdriver before breathing deeply and leaning back. He looked up at me, face casual.

“I can use it to look into other dimensions, alternate universes. There's a lot- lot of me’s out there with good ideas and scientific adv-ugh-ancements a lot further forward than mine, so I'm thinking of using this for uh, inspiration.” He explained. I stared at him for a while, unsure how to react. 

“Other you’s, huh?” I smirked, feeling amused. “You may be smarter than me, Rick, but you aren't going to fool me.” I laughed. Rick frowned.

“You-you don't know about other dimensions? I haven't explained this stuff before?” He asked. I shook my head.

“I guess it slipped your mind, something so mundane.” I laughed louder.

“Wow, that's uh… I would've thought…” he trailed off, shaking his head. “Nevermind.”

“So what is it, really?” I asked. He scratched his head, pulling a face.

“Night vision goggles for- so I don't have to turn on any lights when I take a piss in the night. Or so-urgh-mething.” He shrugged disinterestedly. 

“Exciting.” I raised a brow, but didn't ask any more questions on the matter. “I'm going to go home. Take a shower, tidy the place up. How about you come over at six? I'll order us pizza. We can watch some TV, maybe a movie. Something… mellow.”

“Sounds good.” Rick nodded. 

“And, um… I don't know if you can get hold of any, but some weed would be nice. Just, you know, if it's reasonable to ask.” I suggested. Ricks head whipped up and he looked at me with wide, shocked eyes. He sputtered, attempting to speak multiple times before he actually managed to get his words out.

“Jesus ch- uhh, yeah, I mean. Sure. If-if you're sure. Y-you're being serious, right?” He said, acting strangely.

“Uhh, yeah. I'm being serious.” I nodded. 

“Th-then yeah. I, uh, I can probably get some.” He told me, clearing his throat. 

“You okay?” I raised a brow.

“Yeah, yeah, I just uh… wasn't expecting you to ask.” He shrugged.

“Oh. Alright, well, I'll see you later.” I offered him a smile, reaching out and running my fingers through his hair, letting my nails gently massage his scalp. I leaned down and kissed his cheek, before heading off.

~

I was almost finished. I could feel that seed of satisfaction in the pit of my stomach grow as I took one last look over the mechanical innards of the new and improved goggles. The final job was to add a drop of Guamtebulon River fluid into a small metal vial, before screwing it into place in the circuit. This should give me the energy I needed to access brain activity across dimensions. A regular current just wouldn't have the power. 

I twisted the metal container into position, hearing a low buzz as I did. I touched various components gingerly, ensuring they weren't overheating. I typed a code into the hand held control that would lead me to a dimension familiar to me, just as a test. I slipped the goggles on, watching static as the machine worked. After a few moments, I was greeted with the sight of a crowd of thousands of roaring fans. I sighed and leaned back in my chair with a slight smile on my face.

Dimension c-278. The Flesh Curtains never broke up and achieved huge success. It was a place I often liked to visit via the interdimensional goggles, and depending on my mental state, it either made me very happy, or very sad. It made me feel like a fucking God, regardless, seeing all those adoring fans as I shredded the fuck out of my guitar, Squanchy and Birdperson by my side. I took a deep breath and clicked a few buttons on the control, watching as the picture shifted, moving in reverse like an old video tape. 

To my relief, the thing worked perfectly. I was able to move around in Rick c-278’s timeline like it was a movie. My mind was filled with thoughts reminiscent of the types I had back when The Flesh Curtains were active. Youthful, carefree, living from high to high without a single regard for anything but having a good time. It was a shallow lifestyle, not that I was judging. My own attitude wasn't entirely different. But at least my invention was working, as my mind was momentarily bonded with the Rick who's eyes I was seeing through.

A thought occurred to me. A very interesting, curious thought that I couldn't quite get out of my head. It would be extremely easy for me to punch in the coordinates of the dimension I was currently in, and access memories from the Rick I'd replaced. I barely hesitated. My mind was made up at the mere possibility of getting to learn a little more about (y/n)'s relationship with the alternate version of myself.

Of course, the first thing I saw was complete blackness due to the fact that this Rick was dead, and I had to jump back in time a little before I found anything interesting. The last few experiences involved Morty, just some mundane stuff that looked a lot like what I saw in my own life; working in the garage, visiting various dimensions to gather useful items. I kept going backwards, further and further, until I caught a glimpse of her.

_  
I was lying in bed, warm and completely at ease. (Y/n) lay next to me, resting her head on my chest, one of her legs hooked over mine. She was so close, I could feel her warm breath wash over my bare skin. I realised I was completely naked, and so was she._

_“One day, Rick, you'll take me on one of your adventures.” She said quietly. I felt a little startled at her words._

_“Adventures.” I repeated questioningly._

_“Yeah. Like the ones you go on with Morty. You don't tell me where you go.” She lifted her head looking me in the eye with a little smile. I didn't want to tell her, didn't want to involve her in the sort of stuff Morty and I did. It wasn't a place for her._

_“That's cause it's nothing exciting.” I said. “Just, boring sc-science stuff that wouldn't interest you.”_

_“Your secrecy only makes me more curious.” She lowered her head, resting her chin on my chest while maintaining eye contact with me._

_“I'm not being secretive. I just… like getting away from it all when I see you.” I told her. It really was the truth. I felt overwhelmed with the feeling of needing an escape, a chance to feel safe, relaxed, and most importantly; loved. My work was everything to me, but it felt like too much sometimes. Everyone needs a break from time to time, and I got that when I was with her._

_“Alright. I can live with that.” A big smile crossed over her face and my stomach filled with the sensation that I hadn't felt in a long time. It was that lurching, yet somehow pleasant feeling, ticklish almost. Giddiness, wholehearted adoration. She was beautiful, absolutely perfect. I reached a hand to her hair, stroking my fingers through it and watching as she closed her eyes and sighed. “I should make a move.” She finally said._

_“Oh, yeah.” I said disappointedly, being reminded of the fact that she was only on her lunch break. She shouldn't even have been off school property, most teachers had an obligation to stick around at lunchtime to help out any kids that wanted extra support. I'd convinced her, though._

_(Y/n) climbed out of bed and I watched her naked body move in a way that I thought was fascinating, even though there was nothing special about it; all she was doing was picking her clothes up off of the floor. She dressed herself, covering up those beautiful inches of her body that had been witnessed only by me._

_“Feel free to hang around here until I finish work.” She told me._

_“I would, but I promised Morty I'd take him somewhere after school.” I explained with a sigh, and she nodded in understanding._

_“Okay then. I guess I'll see you at the weekend, then?” She asked, kneeling on the bed beside me. I nodded, and she leaned down to give me a kiss. It was a long, gentle kiss that I recognised as her 'goodbye’ kiss. When she pulled away, she smiled at me._

_“I love you.” I told her, noticing her smile widen._

_“I love you too.” She replied, then she climbed off of the bed, and left the room.  
_

I pulled the goggles off, my heart was hammering away, and I didn't quite know how to feel. Part of me felt nauseous, completely uncomfortable and definitely not myself. I'd told her I loved her, and fucking felt it. I sure as shit had made a damn good pair of goggles. The time I had spent watching the alternate world had felt so real. Every feeling I had, it was all too real, every thought, I truly felt it.

It was unnatural. Love was something I hadn't felt in years, not since my ex wife. I'd gotten close with Unity, but that was nothing compared to how I felt looking through the eyes of this other Rick. I remembered telling Morty that love was just a chemical reaction. It was a theory I still believed in. But I was still as human as everyone else on this damn planet, I wasn't immune to such chemical reactions; and that gut feeling I had… it unsettled me. Of course, it wasn't real. It wasn't me feeling it, exactly, it was the other Rick. Our minds had merely been connected. But it had felt so fucking real…

“Grandpa?” I heard a voice from beside me. Morty had let himself into the garage and was staring at me oddly. “You all- all good?” He asked.

“Uhh, yeah, Morty. I'm fine, j-just testing out these goggles.” I told him.

“You got it to work, then?” He said, coming to stand beside me.

“Yeah, uh, you want to give them a go?” I offered, but he shook his head.

“I just wanted to talk to you.” He told me, sitting in the spare chair beside me.

“I wonder what this is about.” I rolled my eyes, tone oozing sarcasm. 

“I just wanna say, I don't think this is cool of you, Rick.” He started, and I was about to interrupt, but he continued. “You're kissing her, an-and I really don't want to think about what else you're doing. I don't agree with it. But…” he sighed.

“But what?” I raised half of my brow. 

“M-my grades are really good, Rick. I-I-I don't know what it is about this dimension, but I'm doing really well, my teachers like me. And… and… Jessica spoke to me. Like, actually spoke to me.” He told me, his cheeks turning red.

“So…” I prompted, amused.

“I like this place, Rick. I guess I just wanna ask you a favour. Can- can you not fuck this up? Whatever you do, I really don't wanna leave this world.” he pleaded.

“I'm trying, Morty.” I sighed, gesturing to the goggles. “I looked into this dimension's Rick's head. He and this chick, they- they really had something.” I said, forcing the odd feeling of sadness out of my head.

“Really?” Morty asked, analysing my face.

“Yeah. I think it was pretty serious. The 'L’ word was tossed around, at least.” I rolled my eyes.

“Wow, Rick. I thought you didn't believe in love.” Morty pointed out, and I frowned angrily.

“I don't, Mo-urgh-rty. I think it's bullshit. That doesn't mean that _every_ Rick out there feels the same.” I explained. “Li-listen to my dilemma, Morty. I can't just break up with her. She's gonna want a reason why and I-I don't have one. I can't tell the truth cause she'll probably f-freak out. But, I see your issue with this, Morty. Kissing her and going along with this; it doesn't feel…” I trailed off.

“Right?” He asked.

“No, that's not…” I shook my head. It definitely didn't feel wrong. “Doesn't feel fair on her.” I finished.

“Right, Rick. So what're you gonna do?” Morty asked. For one of the few times in my life, I felt well and truly stumped.

“I guess, just… go along with it for a little while? Gently cool things down with her. Break things off when it feels like the right time.” I shrugged. It was the best I could do. Morty nodded his head.

“Alright. That seems like… like maybe it's okay. But what if she-” Morty started, suddenly flushing and looking embarrassed. I frowned. “This is kinda… weird, saying this but; what if she, you know. Wants more than a kiss, next time?” 

“Oh, Jesus Morty. Why's your head even going there?” I sat up and gave him a funny look. Honestly, all I was doing was dodging the question. I didn't think it was an unreasonable thing to wonder about, it was a pretty obvious concern. My willingness to answer honestly was non-existent, however.

“S-sorry, grandpa! Y-you got to admit though, that is a thing you should be thinking about. If-if it was as serious as you said it was…” he said, looking a worrying shade of red.

“Alright, kid. I-I-I suppose I'd just have to let her down gently. I'll think of a couple excuses for if, uh, the situation should arise.” I told him. It was a total lie of course. I could tell myself that I'd push her away, stop things from happening, as much as I damn pleased. But my self control was almost non-existent around women, especially the younger ones, and I knew for a fact that if she touched me again, there's only one way I'd react. 

“Okay. That makes me feel a little better. I feel really bad for her, you know?” He pouted, crossing his arms and looking down. 

“I know, Morty. But this'll all be over in a couple weeks.” I assured him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait since the last chapter. I just started a new uni course and I'm a little overwhelmed. I'll try and become more regular with this story, but no promises. Don't worry though, I've never left a fic unfinished :)


	5. Bargain

The knock at the door was all it took to put a smile on my face. Rick had turned up a little later than expected, but I didn't mind. I answered the door and let him in, noticing the way he took a good look at me from head to toe as he stepped over the threshold. I was in a loose-fitting sweater and a pair of leggings, my hair was still damp from my shower and I let it hang loose around my face. 

“Hi, baby.” I greeted him. He wandered into my home, glancing around the place and drinking it all in. 

“Hey. I uh, got what you asked for.” He told me, letting himself into the living room and sitting down on the sofa. I followed him through, a little smile lingering on my face.

“You did?” I asked hopefully, and he reached inside his pocket, pulling out a bag of weed. He tossed it onto the coffee table, and I saw the ghost of a smirk on his face. “Thanks, Rick. I thought it'd be nice, you know? You've been stressed lately, I've had a lot going on with work… it might help us to relax a little.” I joined him in the sofa, tucking my legs underneath me. 

“I like your thinking.” His smirk became more pronounced. I placed a hand on his chest, stroking it up and down, sighing happily.

“It's good to be alone.” I whispered. “Sometimes it's nice to just spend time together without worrying about one of your family members interrupting, isn't it?”

“It sure is.” He said with a sigh, glancing away from me. 

“Maybe…” I started, looking down at his chest to avoid eye contact. “It wouldn't be so bad if you spent more time here. And, like, leave some of your stuff here. You know what I mean?” Rick didn't respond right away, so I stole a glance up to his eyes. He looked uncomfortable. “Or not… it's no biggie.” I hastily added.

“No, no, I can see what you're say-saying. I just don't think…” he trailed off, looking around the room with panic in his eyes. I regretted bringing it up. “Morty, uh… Mo-ough-rty needs me. Yeah, what with his parents going through divorce, the kids a little… fragile. I think he needs his grandpa around right now.” He told me, patting my hand as it rest on his chest. 

“That's sweet.” My gaze softened. “It’s nice that you're looking out for him. I can understand that. We don't have to do anything right away, you spending the odd night here is good enough for me.” I nodded my head, moving closer to him and nestling my face into his shoulder.

“Alright.” He said. “So, uh, wanna get high?” He asked me after a short pause. I giggled.

“Yeah. I'll order our pizza, shouldn't take too long to get here.” I told him with a grin.

-

Smoking with Rick always managed to sooth me. His presence combined with the weed served to remove all stress and worry from my mind, I could just lay back and melt away. I was laying on the sofa, my legs draped over Rick's lap, and I stared up at him. He lay there, arms spread over the back of the sofa, head tilted back with a blunt hanging from his lips. I let my eyes wander over his skinny frame, his lanky limbs that just draped over the chair with an odd sense of grace. To me, he was one of the most beautiful beings on Earth without even making an effort. I'd always had a thing for older men. I'd tried dating guys my own age, but none of them had really done anything for me. I wasn't entirely sure why I liked older men in particular. Perhaps it was the better understanding of the world, a more mature, reasonable outlook on life that only came with age. Or maybe it was down to experience, an older guy tended to know what he was doing with a woman. Who knew?

Rick shifted, sitting up and leaning over my legs to reach for the pizza on the coffee table. He picked up a slice, plucking the blunt out from between his lips with his free hand, quickly filling the void with pizza. I watched him chew, and after a moment, he caught me looking. He offered the weed to me, and I took it from him without a word. Neither of us had said a word in ages, and that's what I enjoyed about spending time with Rick. He wasn't one for forced conversation. Silences were comfortable, so I didn't feel compelled to fill them. He and I could just exist together. 

I put the blunt to my lips, inhaling deeply. I closed my eyes as I exhaled, enjoying the tingling sensation in my throat. Rick was the one to break the silence. “So, uh, your art. Talk to me about your art.” He said, and the question caught me off guard. Rick rarely asked me about my interests, not since we first met; and even then he didn't seem particularly interested. But he was staring around at the walls, which were adorned with various sketches and paintings, some framed, others just hastily stuck up with tape, and he looked curious.

“What would you like to know?” I asked, sitting up as I addressed him. Rick shrugged.

“It's important to you, right?” He suggested, and I laughed.

“I mean, my entire life kind of revolves around it.” I teased. “Never saw myself doing anything else. I considered a few other career choices but, I always came back to art.”

“What do you like about it?” He asked as I passed the weed over to him.

“The act of creating something from nothing. Using my hands to just… make something appear, and then have other people see it and appreciate it. And the freedom of it, I guess. I can create anything I want, anything is possible when I have a pencil in my hand. That's what I try to teach my students.” I explained. 

“Sounds… profound.” He said after a pause. 

“Not really. That's just fancy talk for if I want to see, uhhh… Leonardo DiCaprio making out with Jake Gyllenhaal, then I can make it happen. Through art.” I smirked cheekily at him, and he raised a brow.

“And you wanna see tha-ugh-t, huh?”

“It was just an example.” I shrugged, neither confirming or denying. 

“So you're saying, I won't be able to dig through your- your shit and find a sketchbook full of attractive male celebrities getting it on?” he asked.

“Would that bother you?” I grinned, amused.

“Not at all.” He said, taking a final drag from the blunt before putting it out in the ashtray in front of him. “But uhh, I'm seeing a lot of birds and animals. Not so much homoerotic portraiture.” He pointed out, looking back at my artwork on the walls.

“Yeah, my animals are my muse… Actually, I was going ask you to do me a favor.” I started, getting up from my sofa and wandering out of the room to fetch something. When I returned, Rick looked between me and the object in my hand with vague confusion. “You're clever. You can make things, right?”

“Uhh, yeah. I suppose I've dabbled in invention.” He snorted sarcastically. I held the object out to him, and he turned it over in his hands, a frown on his face.

“That’s a bird feeder-”

“No shit.” 

“I mean, it _was_ one. But the squirrels got to it.” I sighed. Rick stared at the feeder. It was a standard peanut feeder, a cylindrical container made from a thin wire mesh; mesh that had been chewed through and positively destroyed by a duo of persistent rodents. “I love squirrels. I don't mind feeding them. I just don't want them wrecking my shit.” I frowned, crossing my arms.

“So you want me to make you something that'll stop the squirrels from getting to the food? I don't know…” he blew out a jet of air through his lips, “squirrels are conniving little fuckers.”

“You're a genius. You can think of something, right?” I asked hopefully, taking my spot next to him on the couch.

“S-sure. I mean, I could strap a couple batteries to this baby and set up a weight activated electric shock, fry the little shits if they even attempt to get to it.” He said, then caught a glimpse of my horrified expression. “Don't worry, the birds will be fine. Too light to set it off.” He added.

“No, that's… I don't want to hurt them.” I specified, giving him a worried look. He sighed.

“That cuts down our options a lo-ugh-t, sweetie.” He said irritably.

“Maybe you can make something that dispenses some nuts for them when they climb on. So they don't have to chew through it.” I suggested.

“Ugh, that would be letting them win, (y/n). I could hook it up to a sprinkler that shoots ice cold water at them. That wouldn't hurt, and it'd act as a deterrent.”

“I like my idea better.” I said, narrowing my eyes playfully. 

“I'm su-urgh-re you do” He chuckled. “You're a bit, a bit of a tree hugger, aren't you?” He had a slight condescending look in his eye, but I ignored it.

“Don't knock it till you try it, Rick. Trees give the best hugs.” I shrugged. “Besides you, maybe.” I wore a small smile, silently begging him to catch onto my hint. He didn't. So I made the first move.

“Woah.” He breathed when I threw myself at him, snuggling into his side and wrapping my arms around his waist. He draped his arm over my shoulder lightly. It wasn't what I craved, but I'd never complain about physical contact with Rick. 

“Will you look into it for me, pretty please?” I asked, voice muffled by his lab coat.

“Uhh, sure. Why not?” He shrugged. I grinned and tilted my head up at him.

“I’ll make it worth your while.” I told him, switching my voice to a smooth purr that had Rick blinking down at me like a rabbit in the headlights. I shifted my position, moving to straddle one of his thighs. The broken bird feeder dropped to the ground. “What would you like in return? You make the call, Rick.” I whispered, stroking my hands over his shoulders, around his neck.

“I, uh, what- what're you prepared to offer?” He asked, his cheeks flushing. I slid one hand to his chest, feeling his heart pound beneath his shirt.

“I could…” I trailed off, taking my free hand and raising it to my mouth. I placed a single digit between my lips and made a show of sucking on the tip. It was the kind of obscene, overtly sexual display that I knew he'd enjoy. He watched me intently, and I wasn't surprised to feel him harden against my thigh. He shuddered when I pulled my finger out, the wet smack of my lips sounding out.

“You’d blow me for a bird feeder?” He said after a pause, an amused smirk forming on his face as he realized the reality of the situation. I snickered, bowing my head against his chest.

“I'd blow you for free, baby. But I can say thank you, can't I?” I said quietly, keeping my head down as I felt my face warm up. When he didn't respond, I slid my hand down his body, gently fondling him though his pants. His body went rigid, and I wondered why lately he reacted so... anxiously, to my advances. “Do you want me to?” I asked, my hand stilling. He didn't respond for quite some time, so I lifted my head to meet his eyes. After a moment, he finally nodded. 

I kissed him. Sweet, simple, just a little tongue. My hand worked him, bringing him to half-mast with a few squeezes and strokes. Rick made quiet, breathy sounds of pleasure, and it lit a fire in my belly. I moved off of him, kneeling on the floor between his legs, quickly undoing his pants and pulling them down just a little. I licked my lips as the sight of his tenting underwear, leaning forward to nuzzle my cheek into the warmth, looking up at his expression as I did. Rick looked like a broken man. He was chewing on his lip, a perpetual look of something close to pain on his face. But I read arousal in his eyes, and I could feel it in the way his cock twitched against my face. I planted a number of kisses against the fabric, feeling him grow as he became more and more worked up.

When I felt like I'd teased him enough, I pulled his underwear down, he lifted his hips to help me rid him of clothes from the waist down. I took a moment to admire the view, his cock laying thick and heavy against his stomach, framed by a patch of silver hair. I lifted his top a little, exposing his belly and letting my eyes follow the trail of hair to where it thinned out to a sparse line below his navel. I'd always found something very sexy about happy-trails. I couldn't help but let out a quiet sound of appreciation.

“You like what you see?” Rick asked, with a hint of bravado. His expression morphed into a smirk. 

“Very much so.” I said. Honesty was something I valued. I wrapped my hand around him, giving him a number of strokes before I leaned down and took him into my mouth. I took my time, sliding my lips right from the tip, down to about half way down his shaft. I'd need a little warming up before taking his whole length, but I aimed to please, and Rick always tended to be surprisingly patient with me. I pulled off of him, flattening my tongue and rolling it over the tip in a circular, grinding motion. Rick groaned above me.

“J-Jesus Christ.” He sighed when I swallowed his length again, coaxing him further into my mouth. I moved my head up and down, no longer concerning myself with taking my time, I wanted to please him. I heard breathless little huffs above me, and soon enough, hands that had been laying limp at his sides found their way to my hair. Rick stroked and pulled at my locks, guiding, but not forcing, me into a rhythm he liked. 

I looked up at him, maintaining eye contact as I tilted my head this way and that, varied the pace and force of my sucking, feeling his cock swell in my mouth as the volume and frequency of his moans increased. He was close already. I pulled off of him, replacing my lips with my hand, slowly jerking him as I spoke.

“Am I doing good, baby?” I asked, licking my lips. Rick nodded enthusiastically.

“You're fuh… fucking incredible.” He told me, panting. “Where the fuck did you learn to suck cock like this?” He laughed, tilting his head back as he caught his breath.

“You know where.” I rolled my eyes, going back to work. I moved quickly over him, sucking with the intent of finishing him off as I moved one hand to play with his balls. My other hand went to his stomach, fingers stroking over the smattering of hair that I loved so much. His stomach felt tight, coiled, ready to release. 

“Fuck, baby, I'm- I'm-” His hips shifted on the sofa, twitching up into my mouth slightly despite his obvious attempts to resist. “I'm gonna come.” He wailed, fingers tightening in my hair. He pulled at the roots, and he had to know by now how much I loved that, I groaned around his cock. I forced myself to take him right to the back of my throat, squeezing my eyes shut and desperately trying not to gag. He cursed loudly, and I felt thick, wet, warmth shoot down my throat. I swallowed around him, hoping that the clenching of my muscles would make his climax that much better.

I pulled up for air once he'd finished, taking the time to swallow his seed and lick away any that had rolled down his shaft. I never complained about the taste, even on the odd occasion he'd commended me for swallowing and being, in his words, _a trooper_. 

I wiped my lips and looked up at him. He was staring up at the ceiling, breathing heavily, his hand still loosely tangled in my hair. “I'll make you so many bird feeders. One for every fucking bird in your garden. Fuck me, th-that was _intense_ ” he told me, and I smiled at the praise. I crawled back onto the sofa next to him, as he lazily shuffled his pants back up. To my surprise, he turned to me, crushing his lips to mine with uncoordinated yet eager haste. I was always shocked at how easy it was for him to kiss me so soon after I'd had a mouthful of his cock. He really didn't care. Then again, it never bothered me when he'd go down on me.

“You-you want me to return the favor?” He asked me, breaking away from me, just remaining close enough for me to feel his breath on my lips. I shook my head.

“That was just for you.” I told him.

“An-another time.” He insisted, punctuated with one last kiss to my lips, before he pulled back, sinking into the sofa.

~

(Y/n) was fast asleep beside me, her face buried in my chest and her arms wrapped tight around my waist. It felt weird being so close to someone who I barely knew, but after I'd let her suck me off it didn't feel appropriate to object to a few cuddles. I couldn't sleep. It wasn't a rare occurrence by any means, and I would usually drink myself into a stupor, become so inebriated that I couldn't help but pass out. But now I was stone-cold sober, the weed I'd smoked hours ago having completely worn off, and my mind was too active to even entertain the idea of sleep.

She'd fallen asleep on the sofa after a marathon of some sitcom that she liked. Something about an office in a government building, it was way too clean and uplifting for my taste and I hadn't really paid attention. I was hoping to carry her off to bed and find something more to my taste, but she'd woken up as I placed her on her bed, and had forced me to get in with her. I say force. She'd pulled on my coat and made cute little whines, and I'd had difficulty walking away.

Now I was stuck staring down at her as she slept. I had this awful feeling in my gut. It was a churning, aching, unnerving sensation. I knew what it was, I wasn't an idiot. Most people would consider this feeling a good one. But I knew better, and this _affection_ I was experiencing was about the most unhealthy thing I could be feeling. I had no idea where it was coming from. I'd known this girl just a couple of days, and despite the fact that I'd already managed to fuck her and get my dick sucked, there was absolutely no reason why I should feel in any way attached. I knew nothing about her. Other than the fact she was a fellatio-pro and had a cunt tighter than duck's ass.

Maybe it was just a leftover effect from the Interdimensional goggles. The technology was new and perhaps more powerful than I expected, I'd assumed I'd be able to read the thoughts of other Rick's as an outsider, but it turns out I'd actually _experience_ them first hand. It wouldn't take much of a leap to suggest that this would leave a mark.

I had to take a step back. Take a look at the situation objectively. I didn't care for this girl at all, if she was to drop dead right in front of me, I could probably go about my daily business with less than a moment's thought. I could believe that wholeheartedly. But I still had this nagging pull, a strange need to stay close to her. Maybe it was just the sex, but then why was I stroking her hair as she slept? That had no benefit to me. Actually it was making my arm ache a bit. But I still didn't stop.

I'd promised Morty I'd break up with her, and while I still had every intention of keeping that promise, I was beginning to realise that it might not be as simple as I thought. Maybe if I could find some hole in our, or _their_ , relationship, it might make it easier. With that, I carefully pried her arms from around me, and climbed out of bed. I pulled on my coat, then took out my portal gun and shot it at the wall, walking through and finding myself in my garage.

I immediately went over to the goggles, pulling them on and entering the world of this dimension's Rick. I scrolled backwards through the memories, passing over the ones that seemed uneventful. I resisted the urge to stop when I caught glimpses of naked flesh, I wasn't here to watch porn of myself. Eventually I settled on a scene that caught my attention.

_  
There she was, stood in the doorway of the garage with her arms crossed over her chest, giving me an unimpressed look. She looked incredible; dressed in a knee length, blue dress covered top to bottom in little daisies, her hair was done pretty, and she wore a little makeup. I should've been pleased to see her, but instead all I felt was irritation._

_“I thought I told you I couldn't go tonight.” I grumbled, turning back to the device on my desk. I was in the process of fixing my portal gun after I'd managed to pass out drunk on top of it, crushing it underneath me the night before._

_“You didn't.” She deadpanned._

_“I'm pr-pretty sure I did.” I retorted._

_“You didn't.” She repeated, taking a couple of steps towards me. “I even rang you earlier, asking if you were still coming to pick me up at seven. You said yes.” Her voice was cold, monotonous. I rarely heard this tone, but I knew when I did, I'd fucked up._

_“I did, huh? Honestly, sweetie, I wasn't really listening when you called. I'm busy.” I told her with a sigh, tossing my screwdriver on the table irritably._

_“You weren't listening?” She asked incredulously. “That makes me feel really good, you know.” She laughed humorlessly._

_“Just get over it. It's one date. I-I-I'll repeat; I'm busy.” I said, feeling my temper begin to flare._

_“But it's not just a date, Rick. It's my bird-watching community’s annual ball, you know it's important to me. I've never missed one.” She said, a sadness in her tone that made me roll my eyes._

_“Bird-watching community.” I scoffed. “I-I-I still can't believe there's a community for looking at birds.” I squinted at my portal gun, analysing the wiring, pinpointing where the damage was._

_“Fuck you.” She exclaimed. She sounded almost as shocked as I felt, hearing those words come out of her mouth. I looked up at her with wide eyes. “How dare you belittle my interests like that? The community is huge, Rick. And everyone has an incredible knowledge of the local wildlife, do you know how patient you have to be to learn that stuff? Do you have any idea how many species of Tit alone there are in this area?”_

_“Baby, I spend a great deal of time observing tits, but do you, do you see me holding an annual ball?” I snorted. She handed me that one on a fucking silver platter._

_“Ugh, you're so childish!” She raised her voice, stomping her high-heel on the floor in a show of frustration, which was arguably more childish than anything I could ever achieve. “I just waited a whole fucking hour for you. You let me down and all you can do is laugh at me?”_

_“I'm not laughing, baby, I'm not laughing at you at all. Chill out, (y/n). You're making this a bigger deal than it is.” I sighed, dragging my hand over my face. I just wanted to be alone so I could get on with my work._

_“That's your problem, Rick. This isn't a big deal to you, therefore it's not a big deal at all. That's the way you think, right?” She uncrossed her arms and leaned on the desk, staring me down. “I care about this. This is important to me. I wanted to introduce you to my friends, share my interests with you, help you understand me better.”_

_“What do you want me to do?” I sighed heavily, and she shook her head in disbelief and didn't answer. “Y-you want me to take you out somewhere? We'll go to Shoney’s if you want. I'll buy you dinner, how's that?”_

_“That's a poor attempt.” She snorted._

_“God, you're so fucking high maintenance. If I'd have known this is what you'd be like, I'd never have-” I stopped suddenly, realising just a little too late that I'd definitely overstepped the line when I saw tears spring up in her eyes._

_“Never have what?” Her voice wobbled. “Never have bothered with me? Never pursued me, kissed me?”_

_“Look, I'm-” I started, but she wasn't finished._

_“Never have taken my virginity?” She said, and I felt a jolt of shock go through me. “Is that it, Rick? Did you think I'd just be a bit of fun for you? Are, are you realising that making someone fall in love with you might cause you a bit of inconvenience down the line?”_

_“It's not like I tried to make you fall in love with me.” I frowned at her._

_“Then what were you trying to do?” she shouted._

_“I… I don't know.” I shrugged in defeat. “Does anyone really know what they're doing?” I approached her, moving so I had her backed up against the desk._

_“Good question.” She looked down at my chest, avoiding my eyes._

_“(y/n), I'm… I'm sorry. I was a dick to keep you waiting tonight, I promised you I'd go with you to your little ball, and I should've kept that promise.”_

_“Damn right.” She said under her breath. I reached for her hair, stroking it gently, careful not to fuck up her pretty hair do._

_“I don't think your bird watching thing is stupid. I didn't mean to put it down.” I said quietly._

_“Good.” she added._

_“And you look beautiful, you know. I'm lucky to be the one who has you.” I slid my hand to the back of her neck, massaging it soothingly. “The only one who has had you.” I added meaningfully._

_“With any luck, the only one who ever will.” She whispered, her little hands grabbed at my coat, and I leaned in to kiss-  
_

I ripped the headset off, dropping it on the bench. I'd seen enough.

“Fuck.” I whispered to myself, burying my forehead in my hands. If I hadn't felt sleazy for taking advantage of her before, I definitely did now. So (y/n) had been a virgin when she met me- other me. I don't know why that made it worse, but it did. Again, that sickly feeling of guilt crept up on me.

Maybe it wasn't so bad. Other Rick and I were technically the same person. Did it really count as taking advantage? Was this really a case of stolen identity? Was I really a different person to the man (y/n) had fallen in love with, and trusted enough to be her first?

I knew the answer to those questions. Yes. Yes to all. 

But of course, I chose to ignore that ugly truth. Instead, I launched into action, digging around in cupboards for scrap materials as I decided to distract myself from those thoughts. I had a bargain to uphold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, apologies for the sparse updates, I'm trying my best! I hope this smut makes up for it :)


	6. Truth

“So next lesson we'll be starting a new project, we'll be looking at Cubism, so it might be helpful to do a little research. Perhaps collect some images you like? I suppose it's a bit of optional homework. But I do think it would be very helpful… anyway, have a good weekend everyone.” I called out to the group of adolescents in front of me. The bell had already rang, so they were barely listening to me and I knew better than to expect anyone to actually carry out the task I was giving them. There weren't a lot of kids in this particular group that actually cared about art, but I tried not to take it to heart. It wasn't for everyone. 

I sat down at my desk as I watched the students file out of the room, noticing Morty still sat at his seat in the corner of the room. This was unusual, especially since it was the end of the day on a Friday afternoon and usually the room was empty before I could blink. He waited until the other kids had left, before getting up and approaching my desk.

“Hey Morty, you want a ride home?” I asked, collecting my things together for the weekend. 

“No thanks. Rick said he was go-gonna get me today.” He explained.

“You seen him today?” I asked. I had woke up this morning in an empty bed, much to my disappointment. It wasn't the first time Rick had disappeared after telling me he'd stay the night, though, so I wasn't surprised.

“Yeah, h-he was at breakfast. I don't think he slept all night, I heard him in the garage last night.” He told me. 

“Huh.” I frowned. He must've left after I fell asleep. “Well, was there something I can help you with?”

“N-no. I mean, not really. I-I-I just thought I'd come and say, uh, sorry, I guess. For yesterday.” He said sheepishly with a little shrug. I looked at him with mild confusion.

“What for?”

“The stuff I said in the car. And when I stormed out of the garage, you know? That- that must've been pretty weird, right? Ha, I uh, just…” he trailed off and sighed. “I just had an argument with Rick and I took it out on you, an-and that's not fair. I'm sorry, (y/n).”

“Oh. Well, there's no need to apologise.” I shook my head and smiled at him. “You know, Morty, you can talk to me. I know I'm your teacher and I get that it's a little weird, especially with Rick and I's relationship, but… I kinda hope you feel like you can come to me for a chat, you know? And I hope you can see me as a, uh, a friend.” I told him. He smiled back at me, but his eyes looked a little sad.

“Thanks. I-I guess you can do the same, like, if you ever get tired of Rick's crap.” He laughed. I smirked in amusement. The door opened, and speak of the devil, Rick entered.

“Morty, there you are. Y-you ready to go on an adventure, Morty? I got, I got something really cool planned. You're gonna love it Morty.” Rick said with a grin, approaching his grandson and grabbing his wrist. He turned to leave, but paused when he seemed to acknowledge my presence. “Oh, hey.” He said, like an afterthought.

“Hi.” I smiled at him, though it was an odd, questioning smile. “You disappeared yesterday.” I pointed out. I didn't sound angry or accusatory, it was just a statement. But it didn't stop him from getting defensive.

“I was working on that thing for you, you know? Y-y-your bird thing.” He told me, a frown etched into his face.

“I'm not mad!” I held hand out to him, softening my features. “It was just...” _disappointing to wake up without you_. Well, that's what I wanted to say, but I glanced at Morty. I didn't particularly want to say anything that would make him feel uncomfortable. “It doesn't matter. Thank you for helping me out with that though. I appreciate it.”

“Yeah well, I said I would do it. An-and you did that thing for me, so.” He shrugged casually, and I felt my face combust. “Anyway. Come on Morty.” He said, tugging on his arm and turning away from me. He reached into his pocket and pulled something out, and I watched in confusion as he pointed some gun-like contraption at the wall. I gasped as he fired it, and a surreal green… blob thing appeared. Before I could say anything, the two of them stepped into the thing, and it disappeared. It left absolutely no trace of anything in it's place, and I was left alone in the room to just stare slack-jawed at where Rick and Morty had seemingly vanished. 

~

“Bird thing?” Morty asked, a curious frown on his face. I glanced around the world we had arrived in, taking in the brightly coloured scenery. I opened my mouth to answer him, but a thought suddenly occurred to me. I'd just used my portal gun right in front of (y/n), and I honestly had no idea whether she was even aware of my ability to teleport, or travel across dimensions. Well, it was highly likely that she didn't, considering she hadn't known about alternative realities, and otherwise just seemed clueless about the types of things I was capable of. It hadn't even occurred to me when I whipped out my portal gun, I was so used to just _doing_ it. After about three seconds of mild panic, I shrugged my shoulders. I'd just explain it to her later. No big deal.

“Oh, she wanted me to ma-make her a new bird feeder. She's one of these chicks that, that hands out free food to wildl-ugh-ife and shit.” I explained.

“Oh yeah. Sh-she told me about that.” Morty nodded. I glanced over at him, an odd feeling striking me.

“Huh? When did she te-tell you that? When have you been talking to her?” I asked him.

“The first day we got here. After dinner.” Morty gave me a funny look, and I suddenly realised with great annoyance that the feeling I'd had was fucking jealousy. I beat that feeling down and feigned indifference.

“Right. Whatever.” I shrugged. I felt Morty's eyes on me.

“So you were at her place yesterday, huh?” He prompted, and I looked at him from the corner of his eye. “What did you guys do?”

“We ate pizza.” I told him, getting out my flask when the urge suddenly hit me. I didn't like this line of questioning.

“Yeah? That sounds nice.” He said, a weird edge to his tone. “(y/n) seemed s-surprised that you didn't stay the night.” 

“Yeah well, I left cause… I didn't want anything to happen. What're you getting at, kid?” I told him, pleased that I could make the fact that I had left early work in my favor. 

“I'm- I'm not getting at anything Rick. And that's good, I mean, you're sticking to your guns about all this.” He said, and I narrowed my eyes at him as I took a drink of liquor.

“Of course. I mean, what-what do you expect, Morty? I'm not gonna- I can't spent time with her? I have to, Morty. I gotta do this right, I gotta take my time with this.” I grumbled at him.

“I don't understand why you don't just get it over with Rick.” Morty frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. “You know, this-this is all starting to s-sound like excuses, grandpa.”

“Ugh shut up, Morty. You don't understand this shit, you're a fucking kid.”

“I think that- I think you're enjoying this. I think you're dragging this out on purpose. You don't care about anyone, Rick, it doesn't make sense that you're concerned about doing this the _right_ way. If-if you really wanted to stop this, you'd just do what you do best an-and just be an asshole! You'd drop her ass in a flash unless y-you were getting something out of this. I get it Rick, she's… she's pretty hot.”

“Morty, that's your teacher!” I snapped, and he simply rolled his eyes dramatically.

“She's still closer to my age than she is to yours.” He pointed out, and I felt a flash of anger.

“Ohh, I see how it is, Morty. You're fucking jealous.” I laughed nastily. “You're acting like this b-because it's me who's lucked out with the hot girlfriend.”

“No, I'm not jealous. I just have morals, Rick. I know that it's messed up to pretend to be someone you're not just to get what you want. It's manipulative, an-an-and it's cruel.” Morty flushed red and scowled up at me.

“What exactly do you think I'm getting out of this?” I asked him, and he raised a brow at me pointedly as if to say; _really?_ “Come on, kid. What's m-m-my motive?”

“I shouldn't need to answer that.” he shook his head.

“Sex. You think I'm fucking her?” I snorted. “I should be so fuckin’ lucky. Truth is, Morty, she's barely touched me since we got here.” I lied. Morty seemed to buy it.

“R-really?” he looked up at me with wide eyes.

“Really. I haven't even had a handful of tit, Morty. Trust me, I'm as disappointed as you are shocked.” I snorted. If I made out like I wanted it to happen, I'd have a much easier time convincing him it hadn't. I was a good fucking liar and I knew it.

“Oh.” He said quietly. 

“Yeah, so just shut up about it, and let Grandpa handle it.”

~

I rolled up at the Smith household about an hour after convincing myself I wasn't having some hallucinogenic episode in the classroom. I strode up to the front door and knocked three times, it was Summer that answered, blinking up at me with an indifferent expression.

“Rick's not here, but like, come in if you want.” She shrugged, stepping aside. She looked me up and down as I entered the house. “You okay? You look… freaked out.”

“Uhhh, I am freaked out. I need you to explain something to me, if you can.” I told her, wringing my hands together and staring at her anxiously. She closed the front door and leaned up against it with her arms crossed.

“I can try.” She smirked.

“So, I just saw Rick and Morty… disappear through a green hole in the wall.” I said, deciding it was better to just come out with it. Her expression didn't shift, and she didn't react at all for a long while, before she finally sighed heavily.

“Not this again.” She rolled her eyes and pushed off from the door, strolling back through the house into the living room. I followed her like a lost puppy, watching as she launched herself onto the sofa. “Can't you just, wait till Rick gets back? I'm _really_ not in the mood to do this all over again.”

“Do what again, Summer?” I asked, frowning. She pulled her phone out and started punching away at the screen with her thumbs.

“Explain to you for hours about Rick's crazy teleportation and interdimensional travel, the infinite number of possible universes, the existence of aliens and unfathomable technology… only to have you fail to handle it all so Rick just-” she pointed two fingers to her temple and made a 'pew’ sound. “Zap it all out of your head. I have better things to do. Like watch TV.” 

I stared at her, eyes impossibly wide, mouth drier than the Sahara. “Huh?” Was all I could muster. She sighed once again.

“Look. If I explain everything to you will you like, promise me you won't have a mental breakdown? This is literally the third time.”

“Um. Okay.” I nodded.

“I'm gonna need more commitment than that.”

“I promise.” I said. She sat up and patted the spot next to her on the sofa.

-

I sat on the couch trying and failing to focus on the TV. It had been a while since Summer had finished explaining to me the truth about Rick. That he was much more of a genius than I could have ever imagined, that there were infinite Rick's, infinite world's, and infinite _me’s_. That in any of those infinite realities there was an infinite number of possible things that could happen, that have happened. That Rick had the ability to visit any one of these realities instantaneously, and he was so ridiculously smart that he'd figured out sci-fi concepts such as memory erasing, teleportation, successful cloning, and who knows what else.

It was a hell of a lot to take in at one time, and I felt my mind slowly cracking under the weight of it all. I tried to hold it together. Summer had said I'd found out about this multiple times in the past, and that every time it proved to be too much for me to handle so Rick had simply erased it from my memory. That was enough in itself to fuck me up. What else could Rick have erased? How else had he fiddled with my mind? Were all of my memories mine? Was anything even real? My breath started picking up and Summer glanced over at me when she heard it.

“Don't start doing that. Don't tell me you're over thinking it.”

“What even is real life?” I asked her breathlessly, and she groaned in frustration.

“You say that _every_ time. Please, stop.” She winced and placed a hand on my shoulder. “You said you'd be cool.”

“I'm trying, Summer.” I took a deep breath.

“Just relax. It's not even that weird. I mean, what do you think Rick does all day? Sit in the garage tinkering with toasters and stuff?” She quirked a brow.

“No… I don't really know what I thought, anything but _this_.” I told her. “Have- have you visited other worlds?”

“A few.” She grinned proudly. 

“And what's it like?” I asked.

“Umm, it's pretty cool. Depends on where you go, I guess. Some world's are better than others, like a _lot_ better.” She snorted. 

“You think Rick would take me somewhere, if I asked him to?” 

“Probably.” She shrugged. “As long as you don't… black out. You uh, you did that once.” She gave me an amused look.

“Can you blame me? You're talking about… about shit I don't remember because it was erased from my memory. Like something from Men in Black or something. This is pretty crazy, Summer.” I laughed, though there was no humor in it and a whole lot of exasperation. 

There was a warping sound and the room lit up with green light. I stared as another portal opened up in the living room, and Rick and Morty stepped out as casually as ever. Summer stood up and marched towards Rick.

“I hope you have your memory gun at the ready, grandpa. What the hell were you thinking just portalling away right in front of (y/n)?” She asked, fists balled up at her sides.

“Excuse me?” Rick asked, looking completely dumbfounded by Summer’s words.

“You know how crazy she goes when she finds out about all your sci-fi crap.” She said, and I raised a brow, lifting my hand up to get everyone's attention.

“Um, I'm right here. And I think I'm handling it pretty well.” I pointed out defensively.

“Yeah, for now you are. That's how it always is. Give it an hour and you'll be rocking back and forth in a corner somewhere repeatedly asking what the point of life is.” She rolled her eyes and tutted, crossing her arms. 

“Well first of all, there is no point to life. Let's get that- answer that question right off the bat. Second of all, get out of my face, _Summer_.” Rick pushed her aside and marched over to me, grabbing my arm and pulling me out of the room. I stumbled after him, and we ended up in the garage.

“So what exactly did she tell you, huh?” He asked, raising a brow speculatively at me.

“Well, apparently I've heard about all of this stuff before. You wipe my memory when I snap like a twig… Rick, I'm struggling here. Is this all a joke? An elaborate prank?”

“If it is, I'm not in on it.” He snorted. 

“So there's really other dimensions and planets and aliens and… and there's billions of versions of you and me?”

“Correct.” He nodded. I shook my head in disbelief. “You want me to prove it?”

“N-no. I don't know. How would you prove it?” I mumbled hesitantly, tilting my head. He pulled out the gun from before and wiggled it at me illustratively. I gave him an unsure look and he fired it at the wall.

“It's fine. Doesn't hurt, it isn't scary. Come on.” He nodded his head towards the portal. I gingerly stepped towards it, staring into the undulating pool of shimmering green… stuff.

“I believe you. I don't think this is necessary.” I shook my head, stepping back. Rick sighed heavily and grabbed my hand.

Rick guided me into the portal, pulling me through faster than I perhaps would've liked. My breath caught as we passed through, it felt strange. Tingly, cold, static-like; every hair on my body stood up. To my surprise, we made it through the strange, glowing doorway unscathed, and had ended up standing outside what appeared to be my house. 

“Holy shit.” I gaped at my surroundings. We'd just fucking teleported. 

“This oughta be right.” Rick murmured, taking wide, lazy steps towards the front window of my house, peering inside. A wicked smirk passed over his features and he curled a finger from me to him, gesturing for me to come over. So I did.

“Oh wow.” I exclaimed, brows raising quicker than ever before. Two writhing bodies were contorted on my couch, two very naked, very familiar bodies. “Wait, wait. Oh my God. That's… that's us?”

“Yup. Well, alternate versions of us. Infinite realities; infinite possibilities. Of course, a f-few were bound to have us banging on your sofa at this precise moment in time.” Rick said, glancing at me. I couldn't peel my eyes off the sight before me.

“These versions of us… they must be exhibitionists or something. Do they know the curtains are wide open?” I wondered aloud, eyes wide and mouth ever so slightly open in awe.

“Who knows? Probably. It's gotta exist, right?”

“Hmm.” I made a sound of agreement, tilting my head at the scene. “Jeez, do I look like that?” I asked.

“Well, this is an almost identical version of you, sooo…” he narrowed his eyes, looking at woman inside, then at me, then back again.

“Oh my God.” I breathed.

“What?” I heard Rick sigh, but I was entranced. “You look fine, nothing to worry about.” He said with a hint of exasperation, obviously misinterpreting my tone.

“Oh, no. I know. Damn, I need to start giving myself more credit.” I smirked, quirking a brow. I sensed Rick looking at me, and when I met his gaze, his eyes were full of amusement. “What?”

“Nothing.” He shook his head, firing a portal behind us, and gesturing for me to follow him through it. It wasn't so scary the second time around.

“So, why did you want to show me us having sex? Other than to, uh, turn me on.” I snickered, and he smirked down at me with a heated look in his eyes. We were back in the normal world, so I thought, and we were walking through the center of town.

“To try to, uh, normalise all this. So you don't _'snap like a twig’_.” He told me, strolling alongside me with his hands in his pockets.

“I like that that's your idea of normal. Us having sex. That's nice.” I smiled. “With all the infinite universes… that's actually quite sweet.” Rick laughed at that.

“Sure. Sweet.” He rolled his eyes. “I-if you like. Maybe I just wanted an excuse to see you naked.”

“You don't need an excuse for that. Just ask.” I winked at him. I liked this. The flirting, it made me feel like the Rick that had been absent for the last few days was back.

“Hmm, it's that easy?” He raised a brow at me. 

“That easy.”

“What about right here?” He gestured around the street, at the passers by.

“Okay you've got me there.” I laughed. “You know my body is for your eyes only.”

“Mm, I like that.” He licked his lips and looked me up and down. “Later on you'll give me a show, huh?”

“I will.” I nodded. 

“Anyway, we're here.” He said, pulling his eyes off of me.

“We're where? I thought we were going home?” I questioned, and he shook his head. He'd stopped us outside a cafe, one I'd been to many times, and he pointed through the window. I spotted them immediately. Us. Bickering, glaring at each other over the table. Rick was jabbing an accusatory finger at me, clearly saying some unpleasant things. The sight made me feel a little sad. “‘Rough Divorce’ us.” He explained, then continued walking.

“Infinite possibilities.” I repeated the term. “I'm glad that's not us.” I sighed. Rick looked at me with a strange look in his eye, a little sad, maybe.

We walked into an alleyway, and another portal appeared. On the other side, the world looked a lot different, more run down. Dirty. I heard a commotion on the street, and when I peeked around the corner to look, my eyes widened. 

Two large groups of people stood face to face, one led by Rick, one led by myself. The people's clothes were tattered, and they all held weapons of some kind. We seemed to be debating something, I couldn't quite grasp what, but it seemed to be a heated discussion.

“‘Post-Apocalyptic, Opposing Tribes’ us.” Rick said.

“What the hell happened here?” I asked, less interested in 'us’ than the state of the town. Rick didn't bother answering, opening up yet another portal.

“‘Quirky Sitcom-Esque Roomates’ us. ‘Zombie Outbreak Survival’ us. 'Magician and Assistant’ us. Hey, you're M-Morty's babysitter in this one.” Rick listed off as we hopped from dimension to dimension. It made me feel weird. Insignificant and pointless. By the tenth dimension, I'd had enough.

“Okay, I get it. I'm... starting to get a little homesick.” I admitted, crossing my arms and looking down at the floor. 

“Y-you okay?” He asked me, his face expressionless. 

“I think so… this is crazy Rick. But it helps to see it, the different realities. Even if it does make me feel like everything is kind of, uh, pointless.” I shrugged. “There's so many different worlds out there, each one is so small and insignificant. Why do I try so hard in mine?”

“Simple. Because to you, your world is everything. Sure, life _is_ kind of pointless and meaningless in the grand scheme of things, but… don't let that stop you from trying.” He told me. “Otherwise, how can we enjoy the little things?”

I looked up at Rick, and he stepped closer to me. He reached a hand to my cheek, and it felt good to be touched by him, and have him initiate the contact. It had all been me these last few days, but it seems things were getting back to normal. I closed my eyes and leaned into his palm. I felt a burst of uncontrollable glee when I felt his lips meet mine. He kissed me slowly and somewhat hesitantly, as if he was holding back or deciding whether it was a good idea or not. He relaxed though, when I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, pressing our bodies together tightly. The kiss heated up, tongue came into play and our breaths became laboured, I clutched him tightly and all I wanted to do was merge with him, get so close that we were no longer two people. It was an intense kind of need that overwhelmed me, and I moaned desperately.

Rick broke the kiss, parting from me with hazy eyes. “Let's go.” He said, shooting a portal at the ground, and jumping through it with me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So uh, Rick's really getting used to this whole girlfriend thing now, huh? 
> 
> I'm very tired while posting this, so please, if you notice any mistakes do let me know in the comments! Also, thank you all so much for the lovely feedback on this story so far :3 you're all wonderful!


	7. Want

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy this chapter that is 80% filth, 20% feels.

We landed in the garage, and the first thing Rick did was distance himself from me, stepping back and planting himself in a spinny office chair by his desk, running his hands through his hair with a heavy sigh. My lips still tingled from his kiss, arguably the most intense kiss we'd shared in days since he was the one to initiate it. I looked down, pressing my fingers to my mouth tentatively. I wanted so badly to close the space between us, continue kissing him, but something about his body language stopped me. He looked tense, annoyed, cold. I let my eyes sweep over him, noticing how he avoided my gaze and stared off into the distance seemingly at nothing.

“What's wrong?” I asked, clasping my hands together in front of me.

“Huh? No-nothing. I'm just thinking.” He shook his head, swiveling the chair around to face his desk.

“About?” I prompted, noticing the way his shoulders lifted slightly, it reminded me of the way a cat would raise its hackles in anger.

“About nothing. Jus-just… do you want me to finish this bird feeder for you or what?” He said with irritation in his voice, and I raised my brows in surprise.

“Wait, you're mad? What's… what're you mad about?” I asked, stepping closer to him, standing by his side.

“It's nothing you need to concern yourself with. Sn-Snuffles is somewhere, you like animals, go-go play with him.” He grumbled as he began working on his latest project; a very high-tech looking bird feeder. I wanted to comment on it, but I had other things to address.

“Maybe I will.” I frowned. “I don't like these mood swings of yours, Rick. One minute you're kissing me; for the first time in days, by the way. And now you're basically telling me to go away? I'm confused. Please enlighten me.”

“We've kissed.” He frowned, looking up at me with a mixture of confusion and annoyance.

“No, I've kissed _you_.” I clarified, crossing my arms. 

“What the- I kissed you the other night, at your place.” He argued. I thought back, and rolled my eyes.

“Oh yeah, after I sucked you off. That doesn't really count.”

“Whatever.” He sighed, turning away.

“My point is, you haven't really been the one to initiate any contact between us lately, and that's really not like you. It's been like trying to seduce a stranger at times, you're all tense, like you don't wanna be near me. And now you're angry with me for seemingly no reason.” I explained, leaning my hip against the desk.

“I'm not angry with _y-you_.” He snarled.

“Then what?” I asked, bewildered.

“I'm angry with myself.” He told me, then quickly appeared to regret it, shaking his head. “I mean- it does-doesn't matter. Just forget about it.”

“Why are you angry with yourself? What have you done?” I frowned.

“It's not- I don't wanna go into all this crap ri-right now, sweetie. Please, c-can you just stop asking God damn questions?”

“Fine.” I huffed, glaring at him. He sighed and rolled his eyes as he tinkered with the bird feeder. I held my tongue for all of thirty seconds, before I couldn't help it any longer. “Am I supposed to ignore your weird behavior?” 

“That would make my life easier, y-yes.” He said monotonously. 

“Alright well, would you at least tell me if this has something to do with me knowing about all your sci-fi stuff?” I asked, and Rick paused, not looking up at me. “Because, if you're worried I'll tell everyone or… whatever, then you don't have to. I'll keep quiet.”

“I don't particularly care who you tell, honestly.” He shrugged.

“So it's _not_ about the sci-fi stuff?” I narrowed my eyes.

“Just, forget I said anything. I know we're supposed to be in, you know,” he did air quotations with his fingers. “ _a relationship_. But we don't have to share absolutely everything with each other. Maybe you, you don't need to hear about what's got my panties in a bunch right now, okay?”

“Okay.” I said after a long pause. “I'll trust you. You don't have to tell me, because obviously whatever it is, I don't need to know about it. Right?” I said, a suspicious tone to my voice that Rick latched onto.

“Wh-what is this? Are you trying to do some… some reverse psychology bullshit right now? Or-or like, guilt tripping?” He glanced up at me with an irked expression.

“I wasn't trying anything.” I shrugged.

“What you don't know, can't hurt you. That-that's all I'll say.” He said rather cryptically. I was about to probe deeper, but I knew that there was absolutely no point. Rick was on lock down, whatever he was keeping from me, was going to stay kept from me. I stared at him silently for a long while, before pushing off from the desk and heading for the door.

“I'm gonna go play with Snuffles.” I informed him.

“Yeah, go-go play with Snuffles.” 

~

As soon as she was gone, I launched a screwdriver at the wall with enough force to leave a dent in the plaster. I raked my fingers through my hair, dragging my nails over the skin, leaving a trail of sharp pain. “Fuck, fuck, fuuuck. What am I _doing?_ ” I growled under my breath.

I fucking kissed her, touched her, flirted with her, and it was all fucking me. She didn't initiate it. She didn't prompt it. It was all just me. Why? Why the fuck was I doing that? _Stupid. Selfish. Stupid. Pathetic. Prick_. I should be breaking it off with her. I should've done it the day I got here. But I fucked her instead. _Genius. Smartest man in the god damned universe._

Where the hell was myself control? Why couldn't I just tell her the fucking truth, and get on with my life? Why couldn't I let her get on with hers? Her fucking boyfriend was dead, wiped out and completely destroyed, and she didn't even have a clue. Here I was taking full advantage of the opportunity, what a sick fuck. I was never a man of healthy morals, not at all, but this takes the cake.

I wanted to slam my head into the desk over and over, but instead, I just took out the bottle of vodka I kept stashed in one of the cupboards below my desk and uncapped it. I drank from it like it was water, not letting the burn and the bitterness stop me. It quenched the thirst in me that couldn't be satisfied by water, and I leaned back into my chair with a sense of peace as the warmth settled in my belly. 

In about thirty minutes I was halfway to plastered, my vision just beginning to blur. This was good. This was what I needed. The alcohol gave me a rush of courage, and I pushed myself to my feet, swaying slightly. _I'm gonna tell her. I'm gonna march into that room and tell her the truth_. I spun in my heel, and headed towards the door.

Unfortunately, as well as giving me confidence, the alcohol had taken away my ability to lie to myself. 

I don't fucking want to. I don't want her to know. I want to keep her around, have her as my little play-thing. Oh God she's hot. She's got a tight little snatch and perfect perky tits, and I want her to keep on worshipping me like she does. Like I'm not triple her age, like I'm not gross, and perverted, and an asshole. I want her to keep telling me she loves me, I want her to value me and I want her face to light up when she sees me. I want her to let me fuck her senseless and make her come over and over again, I want to consume her. I want _her_. And I didn't even know her. 

I leaned my forehead against the door and groaned. I stopped imagining her face when I tell her the truth, that I'm not her Rick and that she's been fucking a stranger. Instead, I started imagining her face when she was riding my cock, completely oblivious to the fact that I hadn't a clue who she was, and I was just letting her have it. And when she sucked me off, absolutely clueless, groaning and creaming her panties when I shot my load in her mouth. She had no fucking idea. The thought shot a wave of heat right to my cock and I breathed deeply, somewhere inside accepting that I was beyond help. Truly fucked up.

I straightened up and locked the door, staggering back to my desk, downing more vodka and feeling my motor skills decline by the minute. I rummaged around in the cupboard for the interdimensional goggles and pulled them over my eyes, scanning this dimension's Rick's memories for something good. 

_  
“Mm, back it up, baby.” I whispered, my hand on the small of her back as she slid up my thighs, ass first, with her back to me. I placed my other hand on her hip and guided her to my hard cock, sticking out of my unbuttoned pants but hidden by my briefs. She pushed back against it, and my cock nestled nicely into the cleft of her ass; covered by black lace panties. My eyes moved up her spine to the side of her face; she was peeking over her shoulder at me, face flushed. She was completely naked aside from the panties, and I stroked my hand up and down her back, taking in the smoothness of her bare skin._

_She started grinding her ass against me, sliding up and down the length of my cock. The friction felt great with the fabric of our underwear, and I groaned softly._

_“You gonna make me come in my pants like-like I'm a teenager?” I asked her in a quiet, dirty voice. She nodded her head and smiled sweetly at me over her shoulder. I let my hands explore her body, over her waist, her ass, her thighs. She felt so warm and so soft and I just wanted feel every inch of her all at once. She pulled her bottom lip into her mouth and picked up the pace, getting more adventurous and moving her hips in a circular motion. “Ohh, fuck.” I breathed, leaning my head back against the wall._

_“Is that good?” She asked me, and if I knew her this wasn't just typical sexy bedroom eyes and asking 'does that feel good baby?’ for the sake of asking. She genuinely wanted to know if she was doing a good job._

_“Yeah, god yeah it's good.” I told her, reaching up and running my fingers through her hair._

_“Tell me, faster or slower, whatever you like.” She said, tilting her hips back so it was more her pussy grinding against me than her ass. It felt a lot warmer, damp, I could feel it even through the underwear. It was the hottest thing she could've done._

_“Harder.” I told her, pulling her hips down so she was putting more weight on me. “Mmm, so good, babygirl. Your daddy's good girl, huh?” I murmured, watching her flush a deeper shade of red. She turned her face away from me and looked down, grinding quicker and letting out a shaky breath._

_“I am.” She said almost shyly._

_“What are you?” I prompted, stroking her hair again._

_“I'm… I'm daddy's good girl.” She answered, and I groaned in response._

_“Hold on. Turn, turn around.” I said, and she did as I asked, turning to face me, bracing her hands on my chest as she continued her grinding. I took in the sight of her; her dewy, flushed face, her pert breasts jiggling ever so slightly with her movements, her shapely thighs hugging my hips. I almost shot my load right then. “Come here.” I whispered, urging her to lean forwards against my chest. Her hardened nipples pressed against my bare chest, and her hair tickled at my neck as she buried her face into my shoulder._

_I slid my hand down her body, and underneath her panties, I pushed two fingers inside her soaked pussy from behind, and she whimpered quietly into my ear. I pumped them in and out quickly, feeling her clench around them as she quickened her pace, just humping against me desperately. It was something to behold._

_“God, baby, I'm gonna come.” I sighed, squeezing my eyes shut and trying to hold on._

_“Me too.” She said, her voice shaky. She sat up slightly, reaching a hand up to my face and turning it towards her, she kissed me roughly, uncoordinated and sloppy, but I was no more composed. Her hips shakily gave a number of quick, erratic thrusts, before she moaned frantically into my lips, and I could feel her muscles pulsing around my fingers. Her climax drenched my hand, she felt so slippery and velvety I couldn't help but picture my cock buried deep inside her, and that's what finished me off._

_“Hng, fuck, (y/n).” I broke the kiss, my hips bucking up without my permission as I came hard into my briefs. I watched as it oozed through fabric, getting all over the black lace of (y/n)'s underwear, and making the hottest mess I'd ever seen.  
_

I pulled the goggles off with shaky hands. I blinked blearily at my surroundings, feeling completely trashed. My focus almost immediately turned to the tent in my pants. I was painfully hard, and there was a wet spot of precum that had soaked through. “Holy fuck.” I sighed, reaching down and giving myself a squeeze.

That had been like watching the most intense, hottest, personalised P.O.V porn in existence. It was like being right there with (y/n), like she was doing all those things to me. I could feel everything like it was actually happening. I had even felt like I was coming, and it was pretty weird to come down from that and still have a hard on desperate to be relieved. I reached for the bottle of vodka, taking a gulp before reaching down to unbutton my pants. I stuffed a hand inside and palmed my cock, stroking lazily. I just wanted to blow my load and get rid of this boner.

There was a knock at the door, and I almost told whoever it was to fuck off, but before I could, they spoke.

“Hey, grandpa Rick, you in there?” It was Morty. I sighed and ignored it, continuing to pump my shaft. I did it quickly and efficiently, just to get the job done. I heard Morty try to open the door, which was of course, locked. “Can I come in? I wanna talk to you. (Y/n) seemed pr-pretty sad when she came back from wherever you guys went. Did something happen? Rick?”

I kept ignoring him, stilling my hand just because it was pretty off putting to hear your grandsons voice when you're trying to jack off.

“She left earlier, she didn't seem to want to talk to me… or anyone.” He continued. I sighed and routed around in my pocket for my portal gun, whipping it out and doing what I'd been fighting the urge to do since I took the headset off. I fired it at the floor and jumped through, inevitably stumbling onto my ass on the other side thanks to the vodka. I stood up and brushed myself off, before glancing down. My pants were around my ankles at this point so I did my best to try and pull them up as I stumbled around the house. (Y/n)'s house.

I wandered from room to room. She wasn't in the kitchen, wasn't in the living room, wasn't in the little room I assumed was her art studio; so I headed upstairs. I pushed open her bedroom door, and she was there alright. Spread eagle on her bed, three fingers stuffed inside her pussy, and she was going to town on herself like there was no tomorrow. She screamed, of course, when the door opened, grabbing her sheets and pulling them over her naked body.

“Rick?” She asked, visibly relaxing when she realised I wasn't a crazed axe murderer. It didn't stop her from flushing bright red after being caught masturbating.

“Mm, look-look at you. Having fun there, beautiful?” I smirked at her, approaching the bed, pulling off my lab coat as I went.

“Are you drunk?” She asked, raising a brow. I nodded.

“And horny.” I licked my lips and climbed onto the bed, kneeling before her and grabbing my crotch. She gave me a once over, eyes hesitant but also clearly lust filled. “And looks like you are too.” I slurred, pulling off my shirt.

“I wasn't-” she started, shaking her head.

“I saw exactly what you were doing, baby. No-no need to be as-ashamed baby girl.” I cooed at her, kicking my shoes off and removing the rest of my clothes. She looked down at my cock, then back up to my eyes. “Why d-ugh-on't you let daddy take care of you, hmm? C-come on. Let's get rid of this.” I said, pulling the sheets away from her, gorging my eyes on her in all her naked glory. “That's better.”

I closed the gap between us, kissing her and leaning over her, my cock slipping between her legs and sliding against her slick opening. She was tense for about three seconds before she wrapped her arms around me, pulling me closer, hooking a leg around my back. I groaned against her lips, stroked her thigh with my hand. We'd each taken care of foreplay all on our own, and it was so easy just to slide inside her. I shuddered and groaned, drawn out and loud, as I buried myself to the hilt. It felt so fucking good, better than a flask full of vodka, or a bag full of kalaxian crystals. Better than a flask full of vodka _mixed with_ kalaxian crystals. It just felt so god damn _right_. I almost didn't want to move, because that would mean it would be over quicker.

My initial thrusts were slow and very clearly affected my inebriation, but her soft groans brought me back down to earth and forced me to focus on what I was doing. I rocked into her with control, at a moderate pace. It was almost too good to resist just plowing into her at full speed, with reckless abandon. But I managed to control myself.

“Am I still your good girl? Daddy's good girl?” She asked me, and I had to take a moment to reign in my pleasure as I very nearly came just from hearing those words coming out of her mouth. I was so aroused, so worked up, this wouldn't last long at all.

“Yeah, baby. Still my good little girl.” I replied, leaning my forehead against hers. She wrapped an arm around my neck, and circled her legs around my waist, completely wrapping her body around me like a blanket.

“You're not mad at me anymore?” She asked, eyes wide and full of questions. She looked absolutely adorable; but all I wanted to do was strip every scrap of innocence away from her. How fucked up was that?

“I was never mad at you, sweetheart. You're perfect. You've not done anything wrong.” I whispered to her, shifting so I could press kisses to her neck. I sucked on the spot just below her ear, leaving a bruise-like mark that showed everyone exactly who she belonged to. “Daddy's good girl.” I repeated through a groan.

“Mmm, can- can you go faster?” She asked me so sweetly, I swear to God she could ask me to buy her a Ferrari like that, and I'd say yes. I'd never met a woman so endearing and downright lovely, as her. She was the human embodiment of a flower petal, so fucking pure that she made asking me to fuck her harder sound innocent.

“Anything you want.” I grunted, picking up the pace and watching her face as it morphed into this pleasured expression, her lips making a little ring. She looked incredible. I bit down on her neck and sucked hard, leaving another mark. It was destructive, like I was making the little dot on her yin to my yang. She was the polar opposite of me, so why did everything feel so right despite it being completely wrong in more ways than one? I shouldn't want her. I shouldn't be doing this. I shouldn't, but I was.

“I'm so close, Rick. Already.” She gasped, and I could feel her legs shaking around me. 

“Come for me baby girl, whenever you want, d-don’t hold anything back.” I said, hoping she'd come sooner rather than later because honestly, I was embarrassingly close to losing control myself.

“Mm, so good. So good.” She mewled into my ear, all breathless and soft. I slid my arm underneath her; squeezing her tight, it was as if our bodies were joined together, magnetised. I found myself dreading the moment we had to part. “Tell me I'm good, tell me…” she said suddenly, her words sounding more abrupt and assertive than her others. I blinked down at her in surprise. 

“You're good, so good baby. You're perfect, you're doing great sweetie. My special angel, you're perfect. My sweet princess, daddy's little-” I cut myself off with a sharp intake of breath when I felt her tense up around me, squeezing my cock impossibly tight. Her muscles rippled, and she cried out loudly. “Such a good girl for daddy.” I added, my voice strained.

I finished inside her, bowing my head against hers and groaning out lengthily. I kept thrusting a good while after we'd come down, just to wring out every last spark of pleasure. I kissed her, slow and tender, stroking my tongue over hers, exploring the texture and taste, savoring every moment. 

“Love you.” Somebody said when we pulled apart, and it took me a while to realise it was me. I immediately wanted to take the words back when I saw her face light up; I hadn't meant them, they'd just slipped out in the post-coital afterglow. But I kept them floating between us as I pulled out of her and moved to lay next to her.

“Stay here tonight. All night.” She said with this dizzy, ridiculous smile on her face. Against my better judgement, I agreed and nodded my head. She rolled onto her side, facing me and snaking an arm around me. I mirrored her actions, enjoying the contact. No, I wasn't the most affectionate person in all the universes, but I would be straight up lying if I said the occasional cuddle was off the table. Especially when it came from (y/n). There was something about her presence that calmed my mind, despite everything. Regardless of the emotional and moral turmoil I experienced over this whole situation, somehow whenever I was with her, the very cause of that turmoil, everything seemed to quiet down.

“I have so many questions, Rick.” She sighed softly, looking up at me. 

“Save them for tomorrow.” I said, closing my eyes. 

“It's only-” she paused, I assumed, to look at a clock somewhere, “seven-thirty. You really want to go to bed?”

“I gotta sleep sometime.” I shrugged. 

“Alright.” She laughed quietly, fidgeting a little to get comfortable. “And, I love you too.” I could hear the little smirk in her voice. I didn't respond, didn't even open my eyes. I had this god awful warm feeling pass over me when she said that, which wasn't fair. I did not like hearing those words come from her. All it meant was trouble. I stuffed the feeling deep down, ignored it, and just waited for my brain to switch off for the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You thought you found a Rick fic without a little daddy kink? Hahaha, no siree! Not here! Also I hope you like a little praise kink, that's a thing in this fic too. 
> 
> I'm terrible.


	8. Sycleria

Fourteen hours I'd slept for. What the hell? I hadn't even realised I'd needed the extra sleep, but clearly I had. When I woke up, I felt warm, cozy, comfortable. Rick was still asleep next to me, to my happiness, it was always great waking up next to him. I rolled over to face him, having turned into the little spoon at some point during the night. Rick's mouth was hanging open slightly, and he was drooling all over the pillow; he had a habit of doing that. I didn't particularly mind, but I found myself reaching out to wipe away the moisture from his bottom lip with my thumb. I watched him for a short while, waiting for him to wake up; but it didn't seem like that was happening anytime soon. So I sat up, stretched, and swung my legs over the side of the bed.

After hastily dressing in the closest tshirt and pair of sweatpants, I took care of a few things; nipping to the bathroom, switching on the kettle, going outside to put some mealworms and sunflower seeds on the bird table. When I was done I thought it was a good time to check on Rick. It occurred to me that he'd had a night of heavy drinking, and he might appreciate something to drink and perhaps some painkillers, so I took a seat on the bed next to him. I brushed my hand through his messier than usual bed-hair, using my touch to wake him in as soothing a way as possible. His eyes slowly opened, and he blinked up at me for a while, looking confused.

“Morning. How're you feeling?” I asked quietly. He merely grunted in response, shifting on the bed and sitting up, grinding the heels of his hands into his eyes. “The kettle has just boiled, you want some coffee? Tea?”

“Coffee s-sounds good.” He told me, glancing around the room. “Fuck, I came over here yesterday? I was com-completely drunk.”

“It's okay.” I said, a look of concern making it's way onto my face. “You can come over anytime you like.” I shrugged.

“I shouldn't have- I just-” he sighed and shook his head. “I'm an idiot.”

“You don't remember last night?” I asked, feeling a wave of sadness at the prospect.

“I remember it, alright.” He said in a strange tone, then climbed out of bed. He glanced around the room for his clothes, and found what he was looking for strewn all over the floor. He dressed quickly, then pulled his fingers through his hair to tame it somewhat.

“And?” I said, not really sure what I was expecting him to answer with. He looked over at me, his eyes trailing my figure from top to bottom.

“And what? We-we had sex. I was- I acted like a prick, probably. Details are hazy.” He shrugged. I beckoned him over with a finger, and after a hesitant pause, he approached me.

I rose to my feet and stroked my hands over his shoulders, letting them glide around his back. Rick's eyes dropped down to my parted lips. I leaned in and kissed him, and that tenseness was back, I almost screamed. I broke away quicker than I would've liked to.

“You were yourself last night. Albeit drunk.” I told him. “Just, open and playful. I felt like you wanted me.” I smiled.

“I did- I mean, I do.” He replied, avoiding my eyes. 

“Is there something that I'm doing, or making you feel that's… uncomfortable?” I asked him. “Because if there is, you need to tell me.” 

“What makes you ask that?” He eyed me suspiciously.

“Because you're tensing up again, when I touch you.” 

“I am? I don't mean to. May-maybe it's an anticipation thing, you know? Like-like I'm just…” he trailed off, seeming to just give up on the sentence.

“Do you like it when I touch you?” I asked him. To illustrate my meaning, I moved one hand up to play with the hair at the nape of his neck, and caressed the other hand up and down his chest slowly. Rick closed his eyes, lifting his hands up to rest on my waist.

“Of course I do.” he murmured, opening his eyes again after a short while. They went to my neck, and widened slightly. “Holy shit, I-I-I really did a number on your neck last night.” 

My hand automatically moved up to the area in question, and I couldn't stop the little smile from lighting up my face. “I know.” I said, my tone way more excited than I'd intended it to be. I'd noticed the little pinky-purple love-bites in the bathroom mirror. They were extremely obvious, and couldn't be mistaken for anything else.

“You-you don't mind?” He looked at me gone-out. I giggled.

“You know I don't.” I rolled my eyes. “I love it when you mark me.

“Yeah, but… there's a lot. How're you going to hide them?” He asked, and I gave him a questioning look.

“As if I ever try to hide them.” I raised a brow.

“Of course not.” His expression was a mixture of affection and annoyance, it was a very odd combination. I moved away from him, heading towards the door.

“Coffee. I'll go and make your coffee.” I called over my shoulder.

Rick followed me downstairs and into the kitchen. He watched me quietly as I made him a mug of coffee, and some apple flavoured green tea for myself. I handed him his mug, and leaned against the island counter opposite him, unable to take my eyes off of him. Morning-afters with Rick always had me feeling smitten. Like I was losing my virginity to him over and over and the adoration I felt for him after doing so never really went away, it just refreshed every time we spent the night together. I supposed that was what being in love was, though I didn't have a lot to compare it to.

Rick didn't seem as affected as me, though that was often the case. He leaned cooly against the cupboards, long legs crossed at the ankle, one hand resting on the counter behind him while the other held his coffee. He was looking down into his mug, completely unaware of my staring. My mind turned back to the things I'd learned about him the previous day, and my curiosity peaked.

“So, do you and other Rick's, like… hang out? Are you buddies?” I randomly asked, it was on my list of questions, but it definitely wasn't one of the most pressing ones. It seemed like a good place to start, though.

“Ahhh, some Rick's do. And uh, I guess I have a couple of Rick's I catch up with every once in awhile. Mostly though, I think they're all kind of dicks.” he explained, and I snorted with a mouthful of tea. I wasn't expecting that answer.

“But, doesn't that make you…”

“A dick? I guess so.” He shrugged.

“Right.” I chuckled, looking down. “So what about Morty, does he have any Morty friends?”

“Not really. We tend to keep to ourselves, I guess. I mean, the best place to meet other Rick's and Morty's would've been at the Citadel of Rick's.”

“Citadel of Rick's?” I raised a brow in question. Rick sighed.

“A bunch of me's thought it'd be a good idea to band together and make their own sort of, civilization, I guess? It, uh, d-doesn't exist anymore.”

“Oh. Why not?” I asked. That would've been an interesting experience, visiting a place entirely populated by Rick's and Morty's. 

“Looong story.” I shrugged, and I didn't press the matter.

“Do lots of people do what you do; travel from dimension to dimension? Is it some big secret that all the smart people know?” I asked, and Rick chuckled.

“As far as I'm aware, Rick's are the only _humans_ that have figured it out.” He told me, a smug smirk on his face.

“That's impressive.” I nearly said that all this would make him the smartest man in the universe, but I didn't think he needed me to tell him that, nor did his ego. “Is it dangerous? Is it like time travel, where if you do something in one dimension it can mess up another one? Or, if you speak to another version of yourself, it can destroy- no wait. Of course not, you said you've met other Rick's.” I was babbling away mostly to myself at this point.

“It may not work like that, but it definitely has-has it's dangers. Anything you can possibly imagine, creatures so evil and dangerous that not even your worst nightmares can compare, they all exist.”

“Woah.” I breathed.

“And that's just the other Rick's. Don't even get me started on the aliens.” he smirked. I shook my head and chuckled.

“What do aliens look like?” I asked.

“They look like anything you can imagine, and everything you can't. There's an infinite number of species out there; infinite possibilities, remember?” 

“God, this is crazy.” I sighed. “What's the best place you've ever been to?”

“The best?” He repeated, gazing off at nothing as he considered my question. “There's a planet a couple Galaxy's over where their God is envisioned as a humanoid. They don't get a lot of visitors over there, but us Rick's like it ‘cause, of course, they _literally_ treat us like God's.”

“I bet that's a real treat for your narcissistic side.” I raised my brows. “I can see why you'd like it.”

“Mainly it's because they have _the best_ cocktails over there, like nothing you've ever had here on Earth. And I get to drink for free. No limits.” he grinned. “Maybe I'll take you one day.” He shrugged.

“Really?” I said enthusiastically, and his smile faded a little.

“Uhh, yeah, maybe. Why not?” He said. 

“Worst place?” I asked after a stretch of silence where each of us sipped at our beverages.

“Earth.” He said, without missing a beat. My eyes widened.

“Seriously?” I asked, my voice sounding sad. Rick seemed to think through his answer a little more, frowning to himself and glancing around the room.

“Well, no offense, humans are one of the dumbest life forms I've ever met. They're needlessly violent, aggressive, and territorial to the point where they will _literally_ blow each other up just to prove who's dick is bigger. They're completely enslaved to money, something that they _made up_ themselves. I mean, sure, other species have currency, but humans are one of the few I've seen that have managed to use it to make their lives more difficult, rather than easier. They're destroying their own planet regardless of the fact that they are capable of existing in a way that does not. Again, this is because of money and their mindless, uncontrollable fucking hard-on for it. I-I could keep going, sweetheart, do you want me to keep going?”

“No, I get the idea. Humans are awful.” I nodded in agreement. “But you still live here.” I pointed out to him. I stared up at me, like I'd made a good point.

“Yeah well, maybe it's just more convenient.” He finally shrugged.

“Maybe it's because that even though humans are decidedly awful, some of them still do have some redeeming qualities. Take your family for instance, you love them.” I said, and Rick rolled his eyes. I smiled to myself, but dropped the subject. “Hmm, are there any world's you've visited, that you think I might like?”

“What- I don't know. I-I can't be the judge of what you would or would not like.” He grumbled, so I put down my mug and wandered over to him. I grinned up at him.

“You know me. Come on, I'm easy to please. There must be somewhere.” I encouraged, and he simply quirked an irritated brow at me.

“Alright, I have somewhere in mind.” He said, putting down his coffee and reaching into his pocket. He pulled out his portal gun.

“Oh, wait, you're gonna take me there?” My eyes widened.

“Well, yeah. What fun would just _describing_ it be?” He sighed. I smiled widely and held a finger up to him.

“Just give me one minute, I gotta get changed.” I told him, before running off upstairs.

When I came back downstairs, Rick was waiting on the sofa flicking through one of my sketchbooks. I flushed a little automatically, it always made me feel anxious seeing others look through my books without me being in control, I was always paranoid they'd turn the page to reveal some extremely embarrassing drawing that I'd somehow forgotten about. I never drew anything particularly incriminating, but still. Paranoia had no logic.

“You, uh, might wanna bring this. Maybe- I don't know, I'm just guessing here.” He shrugged, closing it and handing it over to me along with a pencil. I took them from him, feeling curious. Without another word, Rick fired his portal gun at the wall, and gestured for me to go first. I glanced nervously at him, but he gave me a reassuring smile, and guided me through with a hand on the small of my back.

I gasped once I was on the other side of the portal. We were most definitely not on Earth anymore. The first thing I noticed was the sky; it was a vibrant shade of turquoise, impossible to mistake for the comparatively dull blue of Earth's sky, and it was flecked with bright white lights that darted around in all directions, like shooting stars but a hell of a lot more frequent. Towards the horizon the beautiful turquoise faded into a pale yellow, and I could tell whatever this planet's version of a sun, and it definitely had one judging by the heat, was in the process of rising.

The ground was lush and moist, covered in sprawled out vine-like growths the colour of lavender, it was thick and cushiony, and when I moved my feet it felt like I was standing on a thick bed of grass. There were patches of tiny white flowers dotted around the area, and when I spun around in circles there was nothing around for miles except scattered trees, clustered together like mini-forests. They looked different from Earth-trees in that they were unbelievably tall and thin and covered top to bottom in long, stiff leaf-like things, ranging from mint green to bright yellow. The branches were white, chalky looking, like they'd leave a residue on your fingers if you were to touch them. The closest tree to me was incredibly tall, it was difficult to judge it's height without a reference point, but it was like standing next to a skyscraper. A very thin skyscraper. It surprised me that they weren't swaying wildly, but I realised how still the air was, there was no breeze.

“Rick, this is absolutely stunning.” I mustered up the ability to talk, glancing over at the man in question to see him staring at me with this little smile on his face.

“Come with me.” He turned and headed for the nearest patch of trees. Each little forest was about the size of basketball court, but some were much smaller, consisting of only a handful of trees. I followed Rick close at his heels as he led me between the trees.

It was much cooler amongst the forest, the air felt dryer than outside though, and for some reason I instantly felt calm. I could hear a cacophony of clicking, beeping and whirring sounds that I couldn't quite match up to anything I'd heard before. The clicking was similar to snapping your fingers, but faster, a _lot_ faster, almost so it made a constant tone. The beeping was similar to a fire alarm. But not quite as shrill or artificial. The whirring was like this undulating 'ooo’ sound, stopping and starting every now and then, and I found the noise soothing. I looked around for the source of the noise, and Rick appeared to be doing the same. Finally, he pointed up at something in the trees.

“What? I don't see anything.” I scanned the general area that his finger was pointing at.

“You see that really bright yellow leaf?” He asked, and I nodded. “Look a little bit down an-and to the left of it.” So I did, and I laughed in pure joy at what I saw.

“Oh wow.” 

Peering down at us were dozens of pairs of eyes, all belonging to these little bird-like creatures. Their bodies were small, about the size of my fist, and their beaks were almost as big. They curved down at the end like a toucans, but they were much shorter. They had wings that stretched down a few inches below their tail feathers when folded against their body, and when I saw one of them stretch and flap a little, I realised that despite them initially looking like small birds, their wingspan was actually pretty huge. It was difficult to see them, since they blended in with the greens and yellows of the trees. 

“Yep. I like it here.” I grinned up at Rick, as one of the birds took off, flying right above our heads and landing on the tree next to us. I took a step closer, looking up at it. It made the clicking sound at me, before taking off again.

“There's a bunch of other birds in here too, b-but a lot of them tend to stay way higher, you might catch a glimpse if you're lucky.” He told me, walking past me and heading deeper into the trees, constantly scanning the area. He stopped suddenly, and I almost crashed right into the back of him. He nodded his head in the direction of another bird. This one didn't blend in at all, it was bright magenta, and absolutely massive. It would've come up to my hip if I was standing next to it, but I wasn't scared of it since its beak was tiny and I doubted it could do much damage. 

It was chewing on one of the powdery white branches, and for some reason, Rick chuckled. I looked at him questioningly, and he shook his head in dismissal. After a moment, the bird hopped back from the tree clumsily, it's whole body seeming to sag. It's eyes closed and it swayed, and finally, it laid down under one of the trees. I quietly opened up my sketchbook, and took the opportunity to get a few quick drawings down, noting the distinct blockiness of the shape of it's head. This bird was making the whirring sound.

“Is it okay?” I suddenly asked Rick, noticing how it seemed to rock slightly, almost dizzy looking.

“It's fine.” Rick said, chuckling again. “I've seen this a lot. It'll get up and fly away in ten minutes.”

“What is it doing? It's not sleeping, is it?”

“Nope. I-I-It's just high.” Rick smirked. I raised a brow at him. “See all that chalky stuff coating the trees? It's… it's like weed, I guess, but better. Its extremely calming, makes you feel euphoric, completely at ease, like ev-everything is perfect.” He told me. I gawped at him.

“Wait, have you..?” I questioned, and Rick nodded.

“Why'd you think I come to this place? There's nothing else here except these birds, and I'm not much of an animal lover.” He shrugged his shoulders, wandering over to a tree and pulling out a glass vial and a little brush. “You wanted to go somewhere cool, I'm all out of Syclerian Magic Dust; side note, I wasn't the one to name it _magic dust_.” Rick rolled his eyes in distaste. “So I thought, hey, why not kill two birds with one stone? Huh, bad analogy for this place but y-you get the picture.” I watched as he proceeded to collect some of the powder.

“I've been feeling very relaxed since I came in here, is that because of the trees?” I asked, eyeing my surroundings suspiciously.

“Yeah. Particles of the stuff just kind of float around in the air, you're bound to breath some in. N-now imagine snorting a bunch of it.” He grinned.

“Jesus, Rick.” I shook my head at him, but laughed nonetheless.

“What? It's totally natural, baby. Th-this is nature's way of subduing the wildlife; keeping them peaceful so they don't kill each other off. See, these birds eat all the dead leaves and crap that the trees don't need anymore, keep the place tidy, you know? They all do their little jobs, so if one species wipes out another, it'd cause problems. So this stuff,” he holds the full vial up to my face, “chills them out.”

“I doubt nature intended for them to abuse it though.” I snorted, pointing at the bird, which was rolling around on the floor like it was out of it's mind.

“Then nature shouldn't've made it s-so potent.” He shrugged, smirking. “Seriously, this stuff is one- one of my favorite drugs.”

“One of your favorite drugs?” I gave him a disapproving look.

“Don't judge me. You smoke weed, and you're a teacher. Y-y-you’re supposed to be setting a good example.” He deadpanned.

“True.” I sighed and shook my head.

“But yeah, fuck being a good example. Answer to no one. If you ever wanna try this stuff- this _magic dust_ , just holler.” he told me, pocketing the vial.

“Maybe I will.” I matched his smirk, and he seemed surprised to hear my response. I placed my sketchbook down on the ground beside me, then wandered over to one of the trees and stroked my finger over the branch, inspecting the white residue left on my finger. It looked like cocaine, or at least what my idea of cocaine was from seeing it in movies. I glanced up at Rick, who was watching me with interest. “How much- if I just licked this off my finger would it be enough? Too much?”

“If you licked that off your finger, you'd probably feel a slight buzz. Ideally, y-you want a little mo-urgh-re than that.” He walked towards the tree, gathering up some of the powder on his own finger. “Like this. An-and it tastes like shit so you're better off snorting it. Works quicker that way too.” I eyed up what was on his finger and winced.

“I've never snorted anything before, I don't like the idea of it.” I told him, and he shrugged his shoulders.

“Then lick it. But don't say I didn't tell- didn't warn you.” he said, holding his finger out to me, raising his brow at me, some flirtatiousness in his expression. I took hold of his wrist and brought his hand to my face, I boldly mouthed the digit, sucking it clean and dragging my lips from the knuckle upwards. Rick's eyes darkened, and he chuckled devilishly. I pulled away from him, letting his hand go. I swallowed and ran my tongue around the inside of my mouth, tasting nothing. I frowned.

“It's not that bad.” I said. Rick said nothing, he just continued to watch me. Then it hit me, the foul, indescribable taste that was unlike anything I'd ever experienced before. My face must've said it all, because Rick burst out laughing, turning away from me to gather some powder for himself, snorting it up in one quick motion. 

“Oh my God.” I wheezed, trying to gather saliva in my mouth to rinse the taste away. It was about the most bitter thing I'd ever put in my mouth, and it felt like my face had turned inside out. There was a hint of something spicy in there too, along with a whole host of complex, disgusting flavours that lacked any comparison. It was just plain bad. But the flavor was dissipating fairly quickly, thankfully.

“Fuck.” Rick sighed softly, tilting his head back, his shoulders sinking low and his limbs appearing to droop. He looked like he'd turned to spaghetti, but somehow still managed to stay upright. He had the most serene look on his face, and it made me happy to see him that way. Never mind that it was drug-induced. 

I didn't feel much different, but I expected I'd have to wait a little while since I'd taken it a different way to him. “How is it?” I asked, watching him with wide eyes. He lifted his head lazily to look at me, his expression was the embodiment of the word 'stoned’. It was almost comical.

“Just, just wait, baby. You're gonna- we're gonna- oh fuck, I can't...” He waved his hand around dismissively, dragging the other through his hair. I started to feel a little lighter, happier, but I wasn't sure if that was just a placebo effect at this point. “You know, this- this is fun. We h-have fun, you and I, don't we?”

“Yeah, we have fun.” I laughed, thoroughly amused.

“I-I don't care what that little assho- little shit Morty says, tryin'a boss me- fucking kid. I love him, I love- I just, he…” he shook his head, coming closer to me and placing a hand on my shoulder, rubbing it soothingly. I didn't understand what he was talking about, so I just listened, hoping for an explanation. “He don't know, w-what life is yet, he's a kid. H-h-he don't know how complicated things are, you know? I just, I wanna have a good time. I wanna have a nice- a nice time with you, (y/n). A nice time. Is that too much to ask for in this, this monotonous, disappointing existence?”

“No.” I shook my head, and it definitely wasn't a placebo effect when I started feeling the hair on my neck stand up and my extremities tingle. A smile appeared on my face, I don't know where it came from. I had this giddy feeling in my tummy that was growing, just pure positive emotion. “We can have a nice time, I don't know what Morty has to do with it, though.” I told him, reaching for his hand and entwining our fingers, Rick looked down at them and pressed his lips together.

“I just want you to know that I like you, an-and I'm bad at these things but these last few days have been some- something special.” he told me, closing the gap between us, throwing his arm around me and burying his face in my neck.

“Why just these last few days?” I asked, deep down inside, I knew there was something odd about his wording, but I found myself unwilling to care that he didn't answer my question. His hand roamed up and down my spine, and he kept the other hand tightly wrapped around my own.

“I don't know you, but, but I know you're a good person, and you're good for me.” He continued, drooling all over my neck before planting a few kisses there, nestling his head in the spot between my neck and my shoulder.

“Rick.” I breathed, my grin spreading wider. His words confused a small part of me, but the bigger part of me just ate them up without question. Suddenly, I found myself being pulled to the ground, and in moments I was pinned beneath Rick. He kissed me, hard and passionate, it caught me off guard but felt completely natural all at the same time. I'd never felt so elated, just laying there on the damp forest floor, being ravished by the man I loved. I groaned into him, cupping his face in my hands and leaning up to deepen the kiss. My limbs felt heavy but I had no trouble controlling them, I raised my knees to rest either side of Rick’s hips. “Oh God, I love you.” I called out, much louder than I'd intended.

“I love hearing you say that.” He replied, biting at my bottom lip and tugging on it.

“I love you, I love you.” I repeated, laughing wildly as he hummed out a pleased response. He pulled back to look me over, looking completely satisfied.

“My special girl.” He murmured, taking a hand and sliding it beneath my shirt, caressing the bare skin of my tummy. “Your Rick was so lucky.” He whispered, glazed eyes glued to the hickeys on my neck.

“My Rick. You're my Rick.” I said, closing my eyes and relaxing back into the foliage. 

“Yeah, now I'm your Rick.” He mumbled, pushing my shirt up out of the way and pressing kisses into my abdomen, over my chest. Weirdly enough, none of it felt sexual; even when he groped a hand over my breast. Every point of contact felt nice. It was completely pure, there was no lust or dirtiness in any of it. “I want you.” He wailed desperately, leaning down and covering my body with his. He rubbed his entire front up against mine, our chests and stomachs pressed tight together, the friction tingled. I wanted to make love to him. Not in a lustful, needy way, not even in a sexual way, despite the fact that it made no sense. I just wanted connection with him, and this was the only way I knew to express that. He kissed me again, lacing his tongue with mine.

There was an electronic beeping sound, and Rick pulled away from me with hazy eyes to look at a device on his wrist. He let out a quiet groan of disappointment, and clambered to his feet, reaching a hand out to me to help me up.

“We need to go, baby. Th-this place floods every couple hours, its- it's weird and annoying.” he informed me, brushing himself down and straightening out his coat.

“I didn't see any water.” I questioned, and he shook his head, searching in his pockets for his portal gun.

“It's all underground.” He said, and fired the portal at a nearby tree. We ambled through the portal together, entering his bedroom at the Smith household. He launched onto the cot, pulling me with him. I laid on top of him, feeling weak and heavy. Rick loosely tangled his fingers in my hair, playing with the roots and sending tingles all over my scalp. “Let-let’s just ride out the rest of this here, baby. Just lay back and enjoy it, hmm?” He suggested, and I nodded.

“I feel so good.” I told him in a breathy whisper.

“I know, I know. Next time we-we’ll fuck each other, that's really… really something.” He said, words slurring together.

“I'm so lethargic.” I said, struggling to pronounce the word in my current state. If I had to describe it, I'd say this high felt like that first couple of seconds after orgasm; where every muscle relaxes, you get that rush of endorphins, and you just feel at ease. It was just like that, but more intense.

“This is the come-down, sweetie.” 

“Already?”

“Doesn't last long. But, y-you can't overdose on this stuff. You can just keep on doing it.” He explained. “You want some more?” He asked, and I shook my head.

“No, this is nice. This is fine.” I told him, leaning up on my elbows resting either side of his head. I looked down at him with a lingering smile, playing with the spikes of hair at the top of his head. I felt a rush of something that was as close to panic as you could get without being unpleasant when a thought occurred to me. “I just realised something.”

“What?” 

“I left my sketchbook there.” I told him, and Rick winced.

“I hope it wasn't too sentimentally valuable.” He told me in a low voice. I thought about it for a moment, but then just laughed.

“It was only rough sketches, I can live without it.” I sighed, kissing Rick's forehead once. “Maybe we can go back there sometime, and I can do more sketches.”

“Anything you like.” He nodded, letting his eyes move over my face, like he was analysing every detail. The cloud of what I could only describe as pure serotonin was beginning to lift away from my brain, and I watched him carefully as I weighed up my next words.

“You said some weird stuff.” I simply said, some of his words replaying in my head now that I wasn't too euphoric to actually think about them. All this talk of _my Rick_ , and Rick not knowing me. Or that stuff about Morty. 

“I was high off my ass, I don't even know what I said.” Rick said, looking away from my face and up at the ceiling.

“I remember everything I said… and why I said it.” I reasoned. 

“Don't over analyse any of it. It was magic dust nonsense. I-I had a lot I wanted to say and it all came out muddled.” He explained, letting his hands drop away from where they were resting on my waist. His tenseness was coming back, so I dropped my line of questioning. I didn't need to know bad enough to spoil his mood, so I just kissed him, quickly and affectionately, then told him what he apparently liked to hear.

“I love you, Rick.”

Rick continued to stare up at the ceiling, but his face softened. After a moment, he lifted a hand to rest on the small of my back. “You hungry?” He asked.

“I could eat.”

“Shoney's?”

I smiled and climbed off of him, helping him up by his hand. “Sounds good to me.” I nodded, and led him out of his room. I still felt light and mostly untouched by negative thoughts, the dust still working it's 'magic’. I could think more clearly now, though, I wasn't so intoxicated. 

“Where are you guys going?” Summer asked as we passed through the living room.

“To get some breakfast, not that it's any of your b-ugh-isness, Summer.” Rick answered flippantly. Summer's face perked up.

“Can I come?” She asked in a hopeful tone.

“No.” Came Rick's answer, one foot through the doorway.

“Please, Grandpa Rick? Pretty please? I'm like, literally _starving_.” She whined, pouting. Rick's shoulders drooped and he sighed heavily.

“Fine. You better get your brother, too, otherwise he's gonna be a little bitch about it…” he trailed off, grumbling incoherently to himself. “Y-you've got thirty seconds, if you're not in the car by then w-we're going without you.”

“Yes! Thanks Rick.” Summer beamed, then ran off upstairs to find Morty. Rick glanced over at me with an unimpressed look, then rolled his eyes and carried on towards the garage.

“I was right. You totally love them.” I grinned teasingly at him.

“Love is not a word in my vocabulary.” He replied, and I rolled my eyes dramatically.

“You know full well that's a lie.” I said, giving him a knowing look. He scowled, looking away from me. We climbed into his car, and I looked around with a puzzled expression. “How the hell did I never question the fact that you have a flying car?”

“May-maybe because having a flying car isn't exactly that inconceivable a concept. I-it's something that exists, that's a well known and believable piece of technology within the grasps of human intelligence. E-everything else I do… well that's just fiction to most people, huh?” He suggested. I thought about that for a while.

“Or I'm just a dumbass.”

“Or that.” Rick shrugged, and I gave him a glare as Summer and Morty climbed into the back seat of the vehicle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who commented on the chapter I posted asking about Tumblr! I have decided to go ahead and make one. If you're interested in following me there, please do! https://porkchop-ao3.tumblr.com  
> Feel free to send me messages there, I made it mostly to interact with you guys! I might take requests for short fic drabbles, sketches etc. We'll see how things go, depends on how busy I am with uni work. It'll mostly be just a fan blog for Rick and Morty, but I'll definitely be posting personal stuff there, and things relating to my fanfics! I hope to see some of you over there :)


	9. The Flesh Curtains

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooo boy, this is quite a long one. I hope you like it, I literally spent the whole day doing nothing but this xD

“So, we haven't had to use the memory gun this time? Nice. You taking it all in, (y/n)?” Summer asked, chewing on a piece of pancake. I shrugged my shoulders casually and glanced down at my plate.

“Yeah, I mean, it's crazy. But I kinda think it could be… fun. Knowing about all this, having the opportunity to actually see some of it. That's incredible.” I told her, looking over at Rick who was sitting beside me in the booth. 

“So no more breakdowns? You're not going to suddenly go crazy on us, right?” She chuckled nervously, and I narrowed my eyes in question.

“Was I really that bad every other time?” I asked, and she looked up at the ceiling in thought.

“Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating. You weren't _that_ bad, but you were bad enough that Rick thought it would be easier for you to just… not know.” she told me, looking up at Rick. “Why'd you suddenly decide now would be a good time to drop it on her for real?” She asked him.

“I don't know. Why not?” Rick murmured, poking around at the eggs on his plate. “Maybe I just got lazy, y’know. Trying to keep it from her.” He shrugged his shoulders.

“Rick took me to a really cool planet today, what was it called?” I turned to look at him.

“Sycleria.” He told me. 

“Oh, I've been there. It-it’s pretty cool. W-with all the trees and stuff, right?” Morty spoke up, grinning excitedly at me.

“Yeah, and the most amazing birds I've ever seen. I did some drawings but… I stupidly left my sketchbook there.” I rolled my eyes at myself. “But Rick said we could go back one day.” 

“Y-you know, there's a bunch of other cool planets, we don't just have to go to that one.” Rick told me, gulping down some coffee. “I could take you absolutely anywhere.” He added, smiling at my wide eyed, impressed expression.

“M-maybe not right away though, right Rick? W-we don't wanna scare her, or- or like Summer said, make her go crazy.” Morty said, eyeing Rick up with this _look_.

“Morty's right, grandpa. Maybe it isn't a good idea to bombard her all at once.” Summer added, and Morty smiled gratefully at her.

“I'm fine, guys, honestly. I don't feel like I'm going to have a breakdown, or anything.” I laughed, watching their concerned expressions.

“See? She's fine.” Rick smirked, throwing an arm behind me, resting on the back of the chair. “You kids are worrying too much. Y-y-you wanna go somewhere else after this, hmm? Somewhere else cool?” He glanced at me.

“Sure!” I grinned.

“Rick.” Morty said, his tone scalding. “Can I talk to you, please?” He looked worried, and I raised a brow.

“Not now, Morty.” Rick dismissed him, waving his wrist and looking away from his grandson.

“But-”

“We're eating breakfast, Morty. Ju-just shut up and eat your pancakes, be a good kid.” Rick sighed loudly, his brow lowering in irritation. Morty frowned and stood up, silently walking off towards the bathrooms.

“You should go and talk to him Rick, what if there's something bothering him?” I said, concern etched into my expression. Rick groaned in annoyance.

“There's always something bothering him.” He grumbled back.

“Please.” I sighed, placing a hand on his knee under the table. He glanced down at it, then heaved himself up without another word, stomping off after Morty.

“Wow.” Summer commented.

“What?” 

“You've really got him under your thumb, haven't you?” She smirked in amusement and I looked at her in confusion. “Congratulations, you just got Rick Sanchez to do something he didn't want to do. Tell me, what's your secret?”

“I… don't have a secret.” I laughed awkwardly, looking down at my plate. 

“Hey, do you wanna hear a life hack?” She asked, leaning across the table at me, her eyes wandering away from my eyes and hovering over my neck.

“Uhh, okay.” I nodded.

“Use green colour corrector to counteract the redness, then use a shit load of concealer.” She told me. I must've looked as confused as I felt, because she laughed and added; “Hickeys? Like four of them?”

“ _Oh._ ” I said, realisation hitting me like a brick. My hand flew up to my neck, and I blushed hard. 

“Seriously, though. It looks like you didn't even try to cover them… oh wait. You didn't, did you?” Her eyes widened and suddenly she looked uncomfortable.

“Why would I?” I smirked, laughing at the way her face contorted into disgust.

“Ew. No no no. That's- you're dating my grandpa.” She shook her head and squeezed her eyes shut.

“Relax, Summer. Jeez. What's the big deal? It's just a hickey. Besides, you brought it up.”

“Only cause you're flaunting them around like, like, a badge of honor or something. I thought I was being helpful.” 

“Well, thanks for the tip.” I snickered.

~

“M-Morty, kiddo, come on out.” I sighed, knocking on the cubicle door. 

“What the hell Rick? I'm- I'm trying to use the bathroom in here. Jeez.” He replied. I tutted and leaned up against sink, pulling out my flask and taking a drink.

“Alright, god, the way you stormed off out there, it was like you were coming in here to-to cry or some shit.” I told him, stuffing a hand into my pocket as I waited.

“W-what- why would I be crying?” He said, then I could hear the toilet flush, and Morty came out. He stared at me expectantly, and I moved out of the way so he could wash his hands.

“She sent me in here, okay? She was all con-concerned about you.”

“She? Summer?” He looked up at me in confusion.

“(Y/n).” I corrected him.

“Oh.” He said, drying his hands on a paper towel. 

“You wanted to talk to me. I-I don't wanna hear it if it's about her.” I sighed. He frowned up at me.

“Well get ready, Rick, because it is.” He put his hands on his hips, trying to look all tough but ending up looking funny instead. “You think this is a good idea? Taking her out on ad-adventures and stuff?”

“Ugh, Morty, will you drop it? Let me just do this-”

“You aren't gonna _just do_ it! Y-y-you're getting way too deep into this Rick, and I'm gonna- I might just have to step in soon.” He glared at me, and I held my hands up in mock surrender.

“Oh, ohh no, y-you're gonna have to _step in_? P-please be merciful, Morty. Jesus, kid, what do you think you're gonna have to do?” I rolled my eyes at him.

“I'm gonna tell her the truth, obviously.” He said. I shook my head.

“Like she'd believe you.”

“Why wouldn't she? She obviously cares about me, I-I-I could use that to my advantage, y’know.” He said, and I raised a brow at him.

“Wouldn't that make you no better than me? Manipulating her? Taking advantage of her attachment to you?” I countered.

“At least I'm doing it for her own good.” He said.

“You think it would do her good to know the truth? To know that her Rick is dead? That you and I are- are imposters? You think she'd like to hear that, Morty?” I stepped closer to him, towering over his small form. “Is that kinder than letting her just be happy with how things are?”

“Yes. Because at least it's the truth.” He shouted. “Y-you may have absolutely no morals, or any concept of right and wrong, but I do! It's not the nicest truth, but she has a right to know.”

“Let me ask you a question, Morty. If Jessica was all over you in this dimension, ready to spread her legs for you at the drop of a hat, w-would you be so eager to tell her the truth?” I asked, and Morty remained silent, his angry expression wavering slightly. “Follow up question; you think I'd be cock blocking you? Pressuring you into breaking things off with her?”

“Th-that's different.” He mumbled, looking away from me.

“How?” I snorted.

“I-I have feelings for Jessica. I wouldn't jus-just be using her.”

“W-what’s to say I don't have feelings for (y/n)?” I crossed my arms over my chest, posing the question to him with a blank expression. Mortys anger ebbed, and his eyes widened.

“Wait, do you?” Morty sounded so kind all of a sudden. There wasn't a hint of judgement or anger in his voice, he sounded considerate, thoughtful, concerned. My expression softened. I had initially asked the question solely as a comeback, not really meaning anything by it, just wanting a reaction. But Morty's words made me pause, and I had a sickly feeling in my stomach as I realised, I really didn't know what to say.

“I- what if I did?” I responded, stonewalling and hiding all semblance of emotion behind a wall of anger.

“I don't know, Rick… W-what could I really do if you liked her?” He shrugged, looking down. “You didn't answer. Do you?” 

“Morty…” I started, running a hand through my hair and glancing away from him. “I'm not- this is- look. I don't really wanna talk about this with you.”

“Why not? I-I can be a good listener.” 

“Yeah, I know you can, kiddo, it's just… I need time to figure things out. An-and I'd really appreciate it if you could just chill with all the pressurizing and the pissy bitching.” I placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Fine.” He said after a long pause. “I-I just wish you'd tell me though, explain things to me. Th-this whole situation is making me really anxious an-and…”

“Just relax, Morty. S-sometimes a solution takes longer to appear, but that doesn't make the problem any bigger.” I told him. Sometimes Morty needed to hear a few words of reassurance from me, and while it wasn't really my forte, I didn't mind it from time to time.

“Okay, Rick.” He nodded. 

“Come on, your pancakes are getting cold.” I said, guiding him out of the bathroom with a hand on his shoulder.

When we made it back to the table, Morty and I slid silently back into the booth, and continued eating. I noticed that Summer was idly pushing her food around on her plate with an uncomfortable expression, I raised a brow, but didn't question it.

“Everything okay?” (Y/n) asked, wearing a hopeful smile. I looked up at her, really looked at her, taking in the warmth of her expression, the softness of her features. I didn't have to try hard to feel a reaction; a deep churning of warmth right in the pit of my stomach. I cleared my throat and looked away, nodding my head.

“Yeah, everything's fine.” I told her. I felt a hand slide across the top of my back, stopping at my far shoulder and giving it a squeeze. When she let her hand drop, the area still felt warm. Oh God. How could Morty's words have affected me so much? They'd planted a seed in my mind, given me a question to really chew on, fuck knows I really didn't want to consider it. I couldn't have feelings for this chick, she was a nobody. Just some baggage that came along with this dimension who just so happened to be in love with me. I didn't need this, it was too much effort; I just wanted things to be back to normal. But at the same time, the idea of sitting down and ‘breaking up’ with her, didn't feel so good either.

What did feel good, was the way she rested her hand on my knee as we ate. It wasn't even flirtatious, she was miles away from my cock; but I liked it. And I didn't know why. 

“I'm the only one eating… why have you all gone quiet and, uh, appetite-less.” She said after a period of silence. It was true, the three of us were just staring into space, taking only the occasional disinterested bite of food.

“I'm just not, not very hungry.” Morty shrugged, glancing between (y/n) and I with an analytical expression, like he was trying to work us out. Or work out why on Earth we were together, which was something I was unsure of myself.

“I'm trying to come up with a good place to take you. S-somewhere else you'd like.” I offered her a smile, feeling the need to see hers. She gave it to me, of course; all wide and excited.

“What about an alternate version of earth where something's really different? Or, or somewhere I can meet myself or you or… anyone else but like, a different version.” She suggested. I considered this for a moment.

“How'd you feel about rock music?” I asked her. Her expression went blank for a moment, clearly puzzled by the question.

“Uhh, I like it. Why?” She said. I grinned.

“I know where we're going. After this I'm gonna drop you off at home; dress in something cool and I'll come and get you later this evening.”

“Something cool?” She raised a brow in question.

“Yeah. Something kind of edgy, unless you wanna stand out like a sore thumb. An-and sensible shoes. Trust me.” I told her. She gave me a thoughtful look, trying to work out where she was going.

“Ooh, can we come?” Summer asked. I turned to her with a flat expression and out right refused.

“No, you've had your designated grandpa time today, you should've thought twice before badgering me to take you for breakfast.” I said, folding my arms over my chest. “An-and it's not the kind of place you bring your grandkids to.”

“Fine, I get it. You want this to be like a private little thing between you two.” She said, exasperated.

“Now, ar-are we finished here? Cause I got stuff I wanna- I need to do today. Let's pay up and get out of here.” I said, rising from my seat.

~

I stared at my reflection in the mirror, tilting my head from side to side, trying to figure out if I looked like an idiot or not. I had on a red checkered dress, it was a halterneck and had a sort of fifties vibe to it. I paired it with a black leather jacket and a pair of worn, black, mid-calf boots with thick tractor-tread soles that I wore for things like gardening and hiking, yet they managed to look punky when paired with the right things. It was an ensemble I had never worn, and it was about the edgiest look I could pull off with my current wardrobe.

A weird, sudden _whorp_ sound startled me, I gasped, and in the mirror I saw a green portal open up behind me. I spun around, slapping a hand over my hammering heart as Rick stepped through.

“Jesus Christ, please don't do that!” I breathed, shaking my head.

“Do what?” He asked, frowning at me.

“Are you serious? Appear out of nowhere!” I laughed incredulously. Rick smirked in amusement, then looked me up and down. He was quiet for a while, and I squirmed under his gaze. “Is… this okay?” I gestured towards myself.

“It's perfect, you look great.” He nodded, staring at my chest. I flushed, well aware of how this dress pushed my breasts upwards and together, giving me way more cleavage than normal.

“How come you haven't changed?” I nodded towards him, noting his ordinary labcoat and blue shirt attire.

“‘Cause dressing in the only _edgy_ clothes I own, where we're going, would cause us a few problems. You'll see why when we get there.” he said, firing his portal gun at the wall. He gestured for me to go first, and I gingerly stepped through, still not used to the whole teleportation thing.

We were stood outside some grungy looking warehouse, thumping music and flashing lights seeped out onto the street. We didn't appear to be on Earth, judging by the weird appearance of the sky; there were way too many stars, and there was giant moon in the sky. It probably wasn't a moon, it was just guess; but it was massive and partly covered by the horizon. Other than that, though, this place looked fairly ordinary, like it wouldn't look out of place on Earth.

Rick walked ahead, leading me into the building. Looking around, I quickly noticed that a lot of the beings that filled the place were not human. There were all sorts of creatures here, tall skinny blue things with six eyes. Eight limbed, gelatinous looking things that didn't appear to have faces. Beings covered head to toe in thick, white fur. Too many different species to count.

“Holy crap, Rick.” I whispered, coming up close beside him and hugging his arm like a little kid.

“Don't worry, th-they're all friendly.” He laughed. The humans I did see, and also the human-ish creatures, were all wearing classic punk rocker attire. Mohawks, fishnets, torn clothes and big toe-crushing boots were abundant.

“Jesus, Rick. Where have you taken me?” I asked, beginning to feel nervous in these unfamiliar surroundings, this was so unlike anywhere I'd ever been before. I felt incredibly out of place.

“Come on, through here.” He told me, tugging me through the crowds and through a large doorway. The music was much louder in here, and I looked around for the source. There was a stage at the far end of the room, and some rock band I didn't recognise were playing. The crowd was cheering like crazy, so they must've been popular whoever they were. I read the banner hanging from a beam above the stage; _The Flesh Curtains_. Rick was looking over at me expectantly, and I frowned in confusion. Was I missing something?

I looked at the band again, trying to work it out. There was some cat-looking creature playing the drums, and man with feathers and wings singing into the mic, and on the guitar- “Woah, is that you?” I laughed out of surprise. Rick nodded.

“Alternate version of me, check it out. Pretty cool huh?” He grinned.

“Pretty cool? Dude…” I snorted, staring at the punk-rocker Rick. “Can you play the guitar?” I asked him.

“Yeah. I actually used to be in the Flesh Curtains, years ago.” He said, a hint of melancholy in his voice. “This is a universe where we never broke up.” He explained.

“Wow. This is so weird.” I laughed, shaking my head. “I wonder if there's a universe where I'm famous… like a really successful artist.” I pondered aloud.

“There will be. Infinite universes.” He told me.

“Can I kidnap her and take her place?” I joked. 

“It can actually be kind of a bitch, switching dimensions.” He shrugged, then suddenly turned to me with a sheepish expression. “Or, so I've heard. From other Rick's who've done it. Anyway, I'm going to the bar. What you drinking?” He asked.

“Um, I don't mind. I'll have whatever you have.” I said.

“Are you sure? Y-you don't wanna specify like, a beer or something? We're on another planet. You don't have a clue wh-what sort of shit they have here.” He smirked.

“Oh, right… not really. Surprise me.” I smiled.

“Suit yourself.” Rick smiled wickedly, and wandered off to the other end of the room, where there was a crowded bar. I glanced around the room, the entire place was exposed brick and wooden beams, spray paint and torn up posters adorning the walls. There were mismatching sofas and chairs dotted around the perimeter of the room, most of them already taken up by concert goers. The ground was scraped up concrete, dotted with questionable stains long since trodden in. It was like the entire place had been thrown together over time, never really planned or thought out properly. It was lit with strobe lights hanging from the beams, and the odd string of fairy lights, it was quite warm lighting, which made for an oddly cozy atmosphere.

“Hargla blak blark nurp?” Some strange, gangly creature with three eyes, three arms, three legs… everything in threes, wandered over to me. I hadn't a clue what it said, but it sounded like a question.

“I'm sorry, I don't…” I trailed off, backing off and bumping into someone behind me. “Oh, sorry.” I turned and said, gaining an angry glare from some other creature. It looked closer to human, though it had dark orange skin flecked with yellow stripes. I shrank under the two creatures’ eyes, not really sure what to do.

“Offle murk den urp.” A voice came from behind the three-everything creature. It weirded me out to see that it was Rick, speaking this odd language I'd never heard of. The two of them conversed for a while, the creature sounding shocked, Rick sounding irritated. Eventually, Rick said something that had the creature holding its hands up and backing away.

“Oh my God, you can understand that thing?” I gawped, and Rick handed me a drink.

“It's a Flavanorian. They-they're kind of everywhere, since they can travel from dimension to dimension.” He shrugged his shoulders, taking a sip of his own drink. “Picked up a bit of their language over the years.” He explained.

“What was it saying?” I asked him. Rick snorted, glancing at my boots.

“It apparently paid you a compliment on your shoes. Then it shit itself when I turned up. Big flesh curtains fan; I look a lot like a certain flesh curtains member. Asked me for a photo.” He smirked. 

“Hmm, do you come to these concerts often?” I asked, raising a brow. He shrugged.

“I've been to my fair share.”

“And how many times have you gotten laid because of your, uh, resemblance?” I asked, smirking in amusement. Rick looked away sheepishly, laughing a little.

“Hey, don't tell me you wouldn't do the same.” He said defensively.

“Well, _I_ wouldn't, because having sex with strangers is a concept that terrifies me… but I get it.” I said, looking down at my drink. “What is this?”

“It's a cocktail; it's got vodka and tropical fruit juice in it, and a couple shots of things you've never tried before.” He told me. “Alien alcohol, try it.”

I lifted the glass to my face and sniffed it; it smelled like fruit and sugar, and not much else. I took a sip. It was very warming, like whisky, but not in an unpleasant way, and it was a sweet as it smelled. I could taste pineapple, strawberry, mango, a little lemon, it's after-taste was slightly bitter, likely from the vodka. The drink left me with a tingling sensation in my tummy, and my vision seemed to get brighter, colours more vivid.

“This is nice.” I said, sounding surprised. “Does it make everything look prettier for you too?” I asked, noticing the way his hair looked a very vibrant shade of blue. Everything had a dream-like quality to it, like I was viewing the world through a surreal filter.

“Yeah, that's the thing with the alcohol they make on this planet. Doesn't really get you drunk, it just seems to enhance everything. Cool, right?” He grinned. “B-but don't worry, there is vodka in there too, s-so you'll still get drunk.” He added, like it was an important detail. I snorted, taking another sip. 

Rick led me by the wrist through the crowd, forcing his way through to the front. He leaned against the barrier in front of the stage, and stared up at himself, shredding on the guitar. He had a serene look on his face, and I could tell he was reliving his own musical career. The music being played was heavy rock music, the singer was yelling more than singing, but it had a certain quality to it that made me want to join the rest of the crowd in jumping up and down. I did; being careful not to get my drink everywhere. It was so weird to see another Rick, one that wasn't mine, especially when he glanced down at me at one point, acknowledging me with a wink. A girl next to me lifted her shirt up, and I quickly realised that she wasn't as human as I assumed she was, since she had three breasts. I averted my gaze, feeling uncomfortable being so close to a naked set of breasts that weren't my own.

“Jesus, does that happen a lot?” I asked Rick, scooting closer to him. He glanced over at the girl and laughed. 

“Yeah. There's a looot of women- and men- that would drop panties for those guys. Especially him,” he pointed to Rick, “a lot of aliens have a thing for humans, for some reason.” He shrugged, taking a gulp of his drink.

“Hey.” As if on cue, a tall, blond haired humanoid with red, scaly skin wandered up beside Rick, flirtatiousness in her tone. “You look just like Rick.”

“Yeah, I get that a l-ough-t.” He nodded, barely glancing her way.

“You wanna buy me a drink, sugar?” She asked, she had a very odd accent, unlike anything I'd heard. I quietly watched, to see how Rick would react to her. He turned and looked her up and down.

“I'm flattered, but I'm here with someone else.” He said, turning back to me and wrapping an arm around my waist, pulling me into his side. I tried so hard not to beam like a mad woman.

“I don't mind sharing.” She said, and Rick almost spat out the drink he'd just sipped.

“I do.” I said meekly, flushing immediately when the woman looked at me in surprise.

“Alright.” She laughed, turning on her heel. “I'll leave you to it.”

“Wow. I thought she'd get catty.” I said, watching the woman disappear into the crowd.

“Nah, her kind are known for taking no for an answer. Actually a very respectful race, good people.” Rick explained.

“Oh.” I said with interest. “You know lot about these people, don't you?” I gestured around the room.

“A fair bit.” He nodded.

“I wonder what else you've got stored up in that noggin of yours. You're very clever.” I smiled. “I find that attractive.”

“Yeah?” He looked down at me, a gleam in his eye.

“Yeah.” I said. He downed the last of his drink in one long pull and placed the glass on the edge of the stage, before cupping my cheek and tilting my face towards his. He kissed me slowly, sensually, he tasted sweet, and my tongue tingled from the alcohol he'd just consumed. He broke away from me, licking his lips and capturing my gaze for a moment. “That was nice.” I smiled up at him, dazed and elated. Rick slid his arm from around me, and faced the stage again. I looked back up at the band, focusing back on their performance, and it wasn't long before I was jumping up and down again.

The concert winded down a while after that; and the majority of the crowd seemed to disappear once the band had left the stage. There were a few people still hanging out at the bar, and sitting around on the sofas. Rick and I lingered by the bar for a while, and my curiosity got the better of me once I saw a flash of blue hair across the room, wandering down a corridor. It was the Rick from the band.

“Rick?” I asked.

“Mhm?” He hummed distractedly, reading through the list of cocktails written on a blackboard behind the bar.

“Do you think maybe we could, uh, meet the other Rick?” I asked, he turned his attention to me at that, looking indifferent.

“Y-you really wanna meet him? Why? H-he's just like me only… more of an asshole.” He said. 

“Yeah, but, this is really surreal for me. You gotta understand that right? There's another version of you just feet away from me, that's really cool… I'm curious.” I said. Rick considered this for a while, looking down and frowning.

“Alright, but I've got one condition.” He said.

“Sure, what?” I grinned excitedly.

“Don't like, ask me for a threesome or s-some shit, okay? That's just- I'm not doing that with him. That guy gets enough tail as it is.” He grumbled.

“Woah! That's a leap and a half. I most certainly wasn't thinking about that!” I gazed in shock at the man before me, face flushing red. “Wait, you wouldn't do that with him? Implying you'd do it with some other Rick?” I narrowed my eyes. Rick shrugged his shoulders indifferently. “Oh my God.” I looked down, my mind filling with some very interesting images.

“Don't get too excited, Jesus, just… le-let's go and meet the prick.” He sighed heavily, grabbing my arm and pulling me towards the corridor. I giggled and stumbled after him, a big grin plastered on my face.

Rick stopped us outside of a door, and knocked twice. There was a long pause before the door opened, and a disheveled, tired looking Rick with messy hair and a cigarette hanging from between his lips appeared. He glanced at me first, then at Rick, then his face shifted into one of surprise.

“Oh, well if it isn't me.” He laughed, pushing the door open and wandering back into the room. We took that as our invitation to enter. “So, you want me to sign your tits or something?” He said with his back to us, and I wasn't even sure which one of us he was addressing.

“I just wanted to meet you… that was a good show.” I tried, sounding more nervous than I wanted to. Was it weird that I felt star struck? 

“Yeah, thanks.” He said, clearing off a space on the sofa that was in the room, strewn in clothes and garbage. He plonked himself down, looking up at the two of us. I assumed this was his dressing room, judging by the clothes and the dressing table in the corner, covered in a mess of bottles and pizza boxes. I noticed a few lines of what looked like cocaine cut up on the edge, and quickly averted my gaze.

“So which one are you?” The punk asked the Rick beside me, looking him up and down.

“C-137.” He replied. I didn't pretend to know what they were talking about. The punk smirked, a look of understanding crossing over his face.

“I didn't know C-137 had a (y/n). I thought you were too busy fucking up the Citadel.” He chuckled. 

“I didn't think you kept tabs on other Rick's.” My Rick said, raising a brow.

“Hard not to, with everyone else keeping tabs on me. You think I can't feel it when you're peering into my head with those goggles of yours? That's creepy, man. You know that, right?” Punk Rick teased, taking a drag from his cigarette and blowing out a plume of smoke. 

“Yeah, well, i-it's always interesting to see what could have been.” Rick shrugged, glancing around the dressing room.

“No way, you're jealous of me? Because I'm a rock god, sex symbol?” Punk Rick laughed hard, shaking his head. “That's sad.”

“I'm not jealous.” Rick shrugged, his demeanor completely calm and unphased. “I've got my own life.”

“Yeah, looks like it.” Punk Rick looked over at me. “You're looking good, sweetie. The offer's still open for me to sign your tits, by the way.” I felt hot under his lecherous gaze. It amazed me how this Rick could look so much like my own, yet completely different at the same time.

“No thanks.” I said, a hint of annoyance in my tone that I wasn't intending.

“You know, I've fucked a few (y/n)'s in my time. I'm guessing you're one of the virgin ones, hmm? Or maybe this guy's already popped it?” He nodded his head towards my Rick. My jaw dropped at his words, and I felt flustered. “Very recently, I'm gonna guess.”

“Y-you wanna take it down a notch, buddy?” My Rick said, irritation clear as day in his voice.

“I'm just putting the feelers out, C-137. Relax.” The punk said defensively, before turning back to me. “You fancy giving one of the fun Rick's a go? Get a break from this old letch?” he asked. 

“Wow. Well, I've met him. Now I'm ready to go.” I shot a tight lipped smile over at my Rick, and he nodded, gesturing towards the door with an 'I told you so’ look on his face.

“No? Not interested? Fair enough.” Punk Rick called after me. “If you change your mind, y-you know where to find me.” 

I left the room quickly, Rick in tow. Once the door was closed behind us, I turned to Rick with a grim expression. “God, what an asshole.” I commented. “Sorry.” I added, feeling bad about basically insulting him.

“I did warn you.” He shrugged his shoulders as we walked back out to the bar.

“He's… he's so cocky.” I shook my head.

“Fame will do that to you.” Rick laughed, taking up a seat at the now quiet bar.

We drank together for a while, just enjoying each other's company. I asked him more questions about the infinite universe, about the aliens we'd seen that night, about the languages he'd managed to learn. I realised there was a hell of a lot more to Rick than I'd ever thought, which was quite scary considering I'd been dating him for months. But I found myself falling more and more in love with him as the night went on, learning about his complexities. He was the most interesting person I'd ever met, and in a way, I felt blessed to be one of the people he'd decided to share himself with. Rick was in the middle of telling me a story about a Galaxy not far from the one we were in, it fascinated me how animated he got as he spoke. He seemed so full of life, completely absorbed in reliving the memory, in all of the unbelievable, mind blowing details.

“... So long story short, I'm now banned from that entire solar system. That was a wild fucking night, jeez.” He shook his head, drinking from his nearly empty glass.

“I'm surprised you haven't managed to get yourself killed.” I said, leaning my head on my palm as I watched him.

“Me too.” He laughed. I glanced down at my drink, noticing that there was a tiny amount left. I drank it down, licking the last drops off of my lips. I felt a nice warm buzz from the drinks I'd consumed, a pleasant lightness that lifted my mood and relaxed me. I was ready to call it a night, though, maybe crawl into bed with Rick if he'd let me.

“I'm gonna go to the bathroom. Then maybe we should head back? You can stay at mine again?” I suggested. Rick nodded, a little smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. I stood up, leaning over to plant a kiss on his cheek, before wandering off to find the bathroom. I found them after some searching, they were down another little corridor, just off to the side of the bar. It was so dimly lit down there that I had to feel along the wall for the door. I had no idea if the bathrooms were gendered or not, considering we were on another planet, so I just bit the bullet and went in the first one I found. 

After taking care of business, I took a moment to reflect on the last couple of days. I didn't think it was possible, but it was like I'd fallen in love with Rick all over again. It was almost like he was a totally different person, like I'd been dating someone else for the last six months and suddenly everything had shifted. I knew who he really was, and the fact that I was still learning new things about him just excited me further, I wanted to know more, I wanted to find out all there was to know. I guessed that it would take a while to achieve that, but I was completely okay with it. 

After washing my hands, I took a look at myself in the mirror. My hair was a little disheveled and my skin looked clammy from all the jumping and dancing, but I didn't look too bad. I tidied myself up just a little before I left the bathroom. I was about halfway down the corridor when a hand collided with my backside in the dark. I squealed in surprise, and spun around in search of the person responsible. Over the dim light coming in from the bar, I saw the silhouette of tousled, spiky hair.

“Shh shh, relax. It's me.” Came Rick's voice. I breathed a sigh of relief, taking a step towards him.

“You ready to go?” I asked. He closed the gap between us, backing me up against the wall, trapping me between his arms. My heart picked up.

“Not yet.” He whispered. Lips met mine in the dark, and I kissed back eagerly. One of his hands slid behind my neck, his thumb stretching up to rest on the side of my face. I moved my hands to wrap around his back, and I broke this kiss with a gasp when I felt bare skin.

“You're shirtless.” I commented, and he chuckled.

“It got hot out there; I was sweating to death in that labcoat. I-is it a problem?” He asked, lowering his head to plant kisses along my jawline. I sighed under his attention, closing my eyes.

“No.” I whispered. Rick moved closer, pressing his hips against mine, grinding. “Ohh god.” I moaned, shuddering. Our lips connected again, and when he pressed his tongue into my mouth I noticed the taste was a little different than usual. “Were you drinking whiskey?” I asked when we parted for just a second.

“Yeah.” He said, kissing me again. His hands moved to my body, and he dragged them upwards over my breasts, squeezing them harshly. I groaned against his lips, arching my back and pressing into him. There was something about doing this publicly, just feet away from total strangers, that made it more exciting. Rick suddenly grabbed at my ass, lifting me up and pinning me between the wall and his hips. I gasped in shock, surprised at his strength. I could feel him, hard and hot, between my legs. “I'm gonna fuck you up against this wall, you want that baby?”

“Mm, Rick…” I moaned, panting heavily.

“Do you want it?” Rick repeated, leaning back just slightly, canting his hips forwards and rubbing his groin into me.

“I…” I started, my hands shaking with anticipation as I trailed them around to his front, stroking them up and down his chest. Something cold caught my attention, and I ran my hand over that spot again. It was his nipple, and I felt something metal there… “Wait.” I said, a horrible realisation suddenly dawning on me.

“Mm, you like playing with my nipples, baby?” He asked.

“You have your nipples pierced.” I said, my blood running cold. _This isn't my Rick_. I was still for just a few seconds, before springing into action; wriggling in his arms and shoving at him. He let go of me, stumbling backwards. “You sick son of a bitch!” I shouted.

“Ahh shit, I'm sorry.” He said, but he didn't sound apologetic, he sounded disappointed.

“You think it's cool to trick me into sleeping with you? Rick was right, you really are more of an asshole than he is.” I seethed, shoving him hard out of anger. “Oh, god. I'm so fucking naive.” I groaned, burying my face in my hands. I took a moment to compose myself, taking one last look at the Rick in front of me, squinting in the darkness. I could barely see him; how could I have been such an idiot? “Where is my Rick?” I asked him.

“Wherever you left him.” He told me in a monotonous voice, having the cheek to light up a cigarette right in front of me like this was just a casual meeting. I hissed out a sound of disgust, before storming away from him. I made my way back into the bar, spotting my Rick sat patiently waiting for me. I felt a lurch of guilt and sickness at the sight of him, I approached him slowly, taking deep breaths as I went. It didn't help that I was still feeling the burn of arousal that the steamy exchange had brought.

“I'm ready to go.” I said quietly, picking up the leather jacket that I'd hung from the back of my stool. I avoided Rick's eyes, and he swiveled around on the chair to face me.

“Alright sweetie, ar-are you okay?” He asked me, and I cursed his observational skills.

“Yeah, I'm fine, let's just go home.” I nodded, forcing myself to look up and smile at him. Rick nodded, getting up and firing a portal at the wall. I hastily stepped through it into my living room, immediately tossing my jacket aside and pulling off my boots, I felt a pair of hands on my waist. I straightened up, leaning my back into Rick's chest. His hands trailed up and down my body, and he pressed kisses into my shoulder.

“It's been awhile since I've had a night as good as that.” He told me.

“It doesn't have to end yet.” I replied, cringing inwardly at how cliche that sounded. Rick chuckled, his hands stilling on my waist again.

“Are you gonna tell me what happened in the bathroom that made you come back looking as white as a ghost?” He suddenly asked, his tone serious. I closed my eyes and pressed my lips together.

“Yes. And I will understand if you get mad but please, please don't shout at me.” I said, turning around in his arms to face him. Rick frowned.

“Okay.” He drew the word out, slow and curious.

“I did something really stupid, I wasn't thinking straight and I didn't realise-” I cut off my rambling with a sigh. “I kissed the other Rick. The asshole Rick.” I admitted.

“You did?” Rick didn't look mad, he simply raised a brow in question.

“Listen, it was really dark, I thought he was you.” I explained, placing my hands on his chest. “He came out of nowhere, and he started kissing me, and I know he wanted more and I almost, _almost_ gave it to him, but… I realised. I can't believe how stupid I am, I pushed him away as soon as I realised it wasn't you and-”

“Okay, let me get this straight. _He_ comes on to you, tries to fool you into thinking he's me in order to fuck you, and _you're_ apologising?” Rick asked, then laughed. “Sweetie, so what? You kissed another Rick thinking he was me. I don't give a fuck.” He waved off the whole situation, and I gaped at him.

“Really? You don't care?”

“No.” He shook his head, and he seemed to be avoiding my eyes, thinking about something. “I mean, he's the asshole, right? H-he's the one using you. He's manipulating you.” He continued, staring at the same spot on the floor. He let his hands drop away from my hips and took a step back, a wave of some emotion I couldn't put my finger on washing over his face. “I-I need to tell you something.” He suddenly said.

“Oh. Okay, go on.” I encouraged him. He gestured to the sofa, and I took a seat. He chewed on his thumb nail, eyes darting around the room. My heart started to hammer in my chest, what the hell was he about to say? I'd never seen Rick behave so oddly before. I could only describe it as something close to _nervous_.

“Th-this is gonna be hard for me, so just-” he sighed, pacing in front of me. “Just give me a second okay, I need to think about, the best… the best way to put this.”

“You're making me nervous.” I said, an anxious little laugh escaping me. Rick stopped and stared at me, chewing on his bottom lip. I could do nothing but wait, sitting there, feeling sick. “Rick?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh God oh God I can't wait to continue this :D I am having so much fun with this story guys, you don't even know!


	10. Kryptonite

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohh man. Here goes nothing... This one is very dialogue-heavy, for obvious reasons xD

Rick hadn't spoken in a few minutes, just staring down at me chewing on his lip with this perpetual look of anxiousness on his face. I waited patiently, feeling my heart pounding in my chest from anticipation. Finally, he sighed, breaking eye contact and turning slightly away from me.

“Look, I-I just need you to try and keep calm, can y-you do that for me?” He asked, still not looking at me.

“No guarantees.” I said quietly, suspicion and worry filling each word. Rick glanced over at me for just a second, before focusing his attention on a painting of a rhinoceros on the wall. 

“I'm not your Rick.” He said without pause, voice strained like he'd just forced it out of himself against his will. I frowned, feeling nothing but confusion.

“I'm sorry?” 

“I'm not _your_ Rick. I'm from another dimension.” He elaborated, finally turning to look me in the eye. I held the eye contact, analyzing his words, his face, the cogs turning in my head. After a moment, I laughed. I don't know why I laughed, I didn't even hear a punchline; it was just my kneejerk response. “I'm n-not joking.” He deadpanned.

“What?” I looked at him gone out, titling my head. His brow arched downwards in a mixture of concern and guilt. “I'm having trouble… grasping…” I shook my head, trailing off.

“Your boyfriend? The guy you've been dating for- what was it? Six months? That's not me. I'm not him, I'm from some other dimension.” He told me. I continued to stare, a frown deeply embedded in my face. 

“Since… how long have you been here? Like since today? Did you take me to a different dimension, kidnap me from that concert? I don't-” I started.

“No. I've been here for about a week.” He shook his head.

“A _week?_ ” I spat, eyes watering in shock. It was just beginning to sink in; the reality of what he was saying. “So, so you just decided swap with my Rick for like, a vacation or something? I don't understand why.”

“No. Morty and I's dimension became, uh, in-infested. We had to move.” He told me, his voice level, emotionless.

“So it's Morty, too? That's not the Morty I know?” I asked, hooking a thumb over my shoulder at nowhere in particular. Rick nodded. I looked down at the ground, a million thoughts bombarding me at once, I didn't know which ones to address first. “So where is my Rick?” I looked back up at him, and he winced, avoiding my eyes. 

“That's not- maybe just l-let this sink in first, yeah?” He said, taking a seat beside me. I didn't want to dwell too much on what that might mean, so I shook my head and took a different approach.

“You came to my dimension because yours was infested. So you, you just left your version of me behind? Just came here, got yourself a new one? Am I… that replaceable?” I questioned, the corners of my mouth turning down. Rick fidgeted in his seat, scratching the back of his head.

“Actually I… wasn't _with_ you in my dimension.” He told me, wringing his hands together. “You were Morty's teacher, and that's it. I hadn't even met you.” His voice became small at the end. My jaw dropped.

“Oh my God. How fucking stupid can I get?” I exclaimed after a pause, burying my face in my hands. 

“Huh?” Rick grunted in question, and I could feel his eyes on me.

“I'm a complete imbecile! You don't know the first thing about me! I'm a complete stranger to you, and never… never once did I even suspect anything close to- we had sex!” I gasped, the thought suddenly hitting me and turning me ice cold. I gaped at him, wide eyes glossing over with emotion. I felt a chilling stab in my heart. “You let it happen.” I added, sounding as hurt as I felt. Rick's face morphed into pure discomfort.

“I'm sorry, I-I-I didn't know what to do; it happened so quickly an-and I was so- look. The day we slept together in my room, I'd just got here. M-my head was all over the place and when you started kissing me I just froze and I couldn't bring myself to stop you. It was so surreal for me, I didn't know that you and him were a thing when I came here, I thought it was just like my dimension. I was torn; I didn't want to risk messing things up so I just, I had to let it happen.” He said, his voice raising, full of raw emotion and blatant defensiveness. I narrowed my eyes at him.

“In your room? You act like that's- like that was the only time it happened. You let me suck you off, and then you came to _me_ , just turned up in my house to fuck me again literally just last night. Was that an accident too?” My vision began to blur, but I refused to cry in front of him.

“It's not like that; y-y-you make it sound so fucked up. It felt different at the time! I-it felt right. I can't explain it.”

“ _Try._ ” I glowered at him, feeling hot and angry and like I could throttle him.

“I don't know! I just,” he paused and sighed, dragging his hands through his hair, eyes darting around the room, “this last week has been so weird for me. I don't know about _your_ Rick, but for me, relationships don't come naturally; it's not something that tends to go well for me and I try to avoid it. But you are- I like you. I feel comfortable around you wh-when I really shouldn't. I don't know what else to say.” He explained, staring down at my hands where they were balled up on my thighs. 

“My Rick was no different to you.” I told him, gritting my teeth. “That's what's so fucked up about this situation because I can't even call you out, tell you what a terrible person you are because you are _just_ like the man I love and can't bring myself to hate you because of that. I- I want to hate you.” My voice was monotonous, oddly calm in a way that surprised even me.

“An-and I understand that. I know this must be really confusing for you, but I want you to know that I feel terrible about this. I didn't mean for it to go this far; I was gonna tell you the truth, or at least break up with you! But then I started spending time with you and you're so-” he cut himself off with a shake of his head. “It made things very difficult for me.”

“I bet it did. You got a free blow job and sex on demand from a chick young enough to be your granddaughter. I bet any man in your position would find it very difficult to put a stop to it.” I nodded my head in curt understanding, expression grim. 

“I didn't mean it like that.” Rick sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face.

“Rick. I know that you have a lot of experience and to you maybe sex is… is a bit of fun or whatever. But for me, it's a big deal.” I told him, looking down at the floor. “I was a virgin when I met you- him.”

“I know.” He said grimly. My eyes flashed up to him.

“How?” 

“I-I-I just, I-” he seemed panicked, trying to find the right answer. “I have a headset; you've seen me working on it. It lets me look into the memories of other Rick's.” He told me. I instantly remembered him telling me about it before, I thought he was joking at the time. Now I didn't doubt he was telling the truth.

“So not only have you been pretending to be someone you're not, you've been spying on private moments with my Rick? Doing research, I guess. So you don't blow your cover.” I huffed a humourless laugh, shaking my head. “What else have you seen? Did you watch us being intimate?” I asked. Rick looked immediately flustered, and I knew instantly that he had. I groaned in disgust, pressing my fist against my mouth to stop the slew of insults that wanted to come out.

“I know this is bad, but I could have chosen not to tell you. I could've kept this a secret and gone on like everything was normal; lying to you. But I didn't. I'm telling you this because- because I don't want this to stop! I want to be honest with you, I want you to know me.” He blabbed, his words coming out in a rush. I blinked at him, unsure of how to respond.

“Well, I'm sorry Rick! I didn't know you were a saint!” I said in mock surprise, choosing to focus on the first thing he said, rather than the second. Rick scoffed and rolled his eyes.

“I wasn't implying that. I meant it like, like I'm telling you because I want the chance to get to know you without hiding anything. I like you, I enjoy your company an-and that doesn't happen very often! I-I want to see if- to see where this could go.” He told me, his voice softening, becoming genuine and kind. “I haven't felt like this for a long time. It fucking _scares_ me but, I think I- I think I need it.” He added meekly.

“You need what?” 

“Companionship. Somebody who- who.” He gave up with a heavy sigh. “Companionship.” He repeated.

“That's it? It's not because of the sex? Because I know how much Rick's love sex.” I deadpanned. “Go ahead. You've already taken everything from me, everything that was mine and mine only to share. You might as well just have it.” I opened my arms out towards him, presenting myself to him on a silver platter. I closed my eyes, waiting for his response. 

In a way, perhaps I wanted him to do something; maybe it would prove something. I don't know what, exactly, but something nonetheless. But Rick didn't move, and when I opened my eyes to look at him, I was shocked at what I saw. He was just staring at the ground in front of him looking completely… devastated. Just plain sad. My mood softened, and despite myself I suddenly felt sorry for him. This irked me; I knew I had no reason to feel bad for him, he wasn't the victim in all this. But, I just did. I reached a hand towards him, but stopped myself; I wasn't about to comfort him.

“Rick. This is unbelievable. Honestly, these last couple of days have been absolute madness for me, I've had to take in so much and now I have to deal with this too.” I told him, watching his sulking face intently. “What I don't get is; why you decided to tell me now, of all times. You could've told me the moment I started coming onto you in your bedroom, it wouldn't have been hard. I get that it was all new to you, and maybe things were confusing but come on, you could have stopped me; but you didn't even try. I don't believe for one second that you had no control over that situation, you have control over _everything_. The truth is, you chose to let things go as far as they did. And because of that… to be honest, I might have preferred it if you never told me at all.”

That got his attention, his eyes flashed up at me. “What? Why?” He questioned.

“Because let's be reasonable, would I have ever guessed that this was the case? I'm one of the most naive, gullible, trusting people on the planet. I know that; it's always been my downfall. If you went your whole life not telling me, then… well you know what they say, ignorance is bliss. I would've kept on loving you like the fool I am, and hell, I would've been happy to do it.” I shrugged my shoulders frankly, pursing my lips as I realised the naked truth of the situation. The reality of what could have happened.

“You would seriously have preferred it if I lied to you for the rest of our lives together?” He narrowed his eyes at me.

“What difference would it make? You're just like him, in almost every way. Have I noticed differences in your behavior this week? Yes. Would it have bothered me at all in the long run? No. Rick, there are only two good options in this situation, and you already missed the chance to pick one of them; telling me the truth the moment you got here. The other good option; let me live my life under the sweet illusion that you're my Rick. Because really, after long enough, that's exactly what you'd be. There'd come a point where you really would become the man I love, and at that point, where's the lie?” I said. Rick was giving me an odd look, completely baffled by my logic.

“Y-you know, this is actually very concerning.” He finally said, looking me over thoughtfully.

“How so?” I asked.

“Do- do you even value yourself? Like, at all?” He asked, and my only response was to frown defensively. “Y-y-you actually think letting this old perv lay his hands on you, _use you_ , is a better alternative than being alone?” A hot flash of anger burst through me.

“This isn't about being alone. I spent my whole life being alone until six months ago, I'm a professional.” I snapped. “An-and I _value_ myself, thank you very much.” I said, but my voice betrayed me, wobbling. The wind was taken from my sails, and I looked down at the ground, suddenly feeling called out and oddly ashamed. The realisation hit me that he was completely right. If I was being completely honest with myself, I wasn't as angry as I should be about this situation, and in reality all I wanted to do was forget about this, and have him wrap his arms around me. This man that had been taking advantage of me for the last week, this man that technically I didn't even know, I wanted him.

“(Y/n).” The way he said my name made me tear up, and I blinked past the bleary vision. “This isn't right. Th-this is why I'm telling you, and why I'm not erasing your memory right now even though you're giving me a hell of an incentive to do so. If this isn't about being alone, what is it about?” He asked me, his voice uncharacteristically soft, and suddenly I felt like I was in therapy. The dam burst, and for some reason I was sobbing. And I mean _sobbing_ ; full bodied, loud, ugly sobbing. I couldn't even pinpoint why. This conversation, Rick's observations and his questions; they stirred up emotions in me that I somehow felt had been laying dormant for a long time. 

I felt Rick put his arm around my shoulders, and I turned to bury myself in his chest. He didn't embrace me, his grip was loose and I felt like it was obligatory rather than comforting, but I ate up the contact, pulling every drop of warmth from it no matter how few there were. He patted my shoulder, softly and awkwardly like he didn't know what to do, but it stoked a fire in me somewhere. Suddenly I was filled with pure _want_ , a desire for closeness, contact, to feel loved and appreciated, to just feel. I peered up at him, my hands clutching the lapels of his lab coat, Rick looked down at me expressionlessly. I knew he was hiding something behind that veil of indifference, and I wanted to pry it out.

“Rick.” I whispered. “Wipe my memory.” I pleaded. “I just, I want… I don't like feeling this way.”

“I'm not doing that.”

“Listen, I don't care what you've done. I just don't care. I want things to be normal.” I pressed my forehead against his chest and closed my eyes. “I want you to make it all go away.”

“Make what go away? The fact that I'm not who you want me to be? I can't.” His voice was scarily cold. “Baby, I want you give me a shot, but not like this.”

“Nobody has ever made me feel wanted, but you. And I mean _you_ , not just my Rick. Last night when we slept together, and when we were high on that dust stuff earlier… every time you've smiled at me. I feel so loved. Even though you don't actually love me.” I admitted, keeping my eyes closed as I shifted on the sofa, climbing onto his lap. I didn't want to see his reaction, in fear that it would be negative. “I've tried so hard to fall in love in the past, but I've never managed. I've dated people my age but I just don't feel a thing. I'm scared that if I lose you, I'll never get this feeling back.”

“That shouldn't be your reason for putting up with me.”

“Putting up with you? That isn't what I'm doing. I'm keeping hold of you. Isn't that what you want? You said you want to see where this could go. That you don't want this to stop.”

“I'm not going to deny it.” He told me. “That's what I said.”

“Maybe we're both just fucked up and we need each other for different reasons.” 

“What's your reason?”

“Rick Sanchez, in all his forms, brings excitement to my life. He gives me the affection I need, the physical contact that only he can make me want; you know that's why I saved myself right? It's not like other men haven't tried to sleep with me. They all just failed to make me want it.” I whispered, finally opening my eyes and daring to look up at his face. His eyes watched me carefully, dark and intimate, a look that seemed reserved for night time truths and frank conversations about feelings. “But you make me want it. Without even trying.”

“And you want it even now?” He asked me quietly, moving his hands to my thighs. I took a wobbly breath, wiped the lingering tears from my cheeks, and nodded my head almost shamefully. 

“You're a lying pervert. You used me for your own gain. You're such a flawed fucking person but my God. If you wanted to take my clothes off right now and take me, I would let you.” I told him honestly, feeling my cheeks burn from the admission.

“What if I told you that I actually sort of got off on the fact that you didn't know who I was. I thought about you riding my cock completely oblivious, and it got me hard, so I came over to your house and made it happen. I fucked you senseless, high on the power, knowing you'd let me do just about anything. Does that put you off?” he asked me. His words aroused me, and I felt my nipples hardening and my groin flooding with heat. Why was this doing this to me? How could I feel this way?

“No.” I told him, shifting in his lap nervously, torn between wanting him to know what he was doing to me, and wanting to keep it from him.

“You don't mind that? I've popped boners over picturing your face finding out that the cock buried in you is a total strangers. I've fantasised about telling you mid-way through a blow job, or right before I come so you get a face full of it just at the right moment.” He said, his hands squeezing my thighs.

“Why are you telling me this?” I asked, feeling painfully engorged, resisting the urge to grind against him. A little smirk formed on his face.

“Because I can tell that it's turning you on.” He told me devilishly, and my lips parted in shock. “Your cheeks are flushed, your pupils are dilated, your palms are clammy. Let's face it, we're too far gone at this point. I don't want to stop whatever this is, and clearly neither do you. Now I'm not gonna pretend that this is normal, or healthy or whatever. You've obviously got some issues that we should probably work on, but for now, there's a lot of tension in this room.”

“I'm not… I don't know what you're talking about. This doesn't turn me on, picturing you using me. That's- that's messed up.” I mumbled, looking down.

“So you aren't wet right now?” He asked, raising a brow. I shook my head. “Not even a little bit? What if I check?” He slid his hand further up my thigh, and I flinched. Rick chuckled. I stood my ground as his hand slipped under my dress, and prayed that my body wouldn't betray me and would somehow miraculously be dry. As soon as his fingers reached the seat of my underwear, I knew I was fucked; the fabric felt cold and damp where he pressed it against me, and when he pulled it to the side his fingers slid way too smoothly over my opening. Rick groaned, his expression betraying his enjoyment.

“I'm sorry.” I uttered involuntarily, squeezing my eyes shut.

“Sorry?” Rick repeated, sounding stunned at my apology. “What the fuck for?”

“I shouldn't be… this isn't right to feel like this.” I whispered, I felt unbelievably ashamed. I shouldn't even like this man, I should detest him, but here I was; wet for him. Even I didn't understand it.

Rick took my hand and guided it down, he pressed it between his legs. He was fully hard. “If it's wrong then we're both fucked. Chill the fuck out, will you? You're allowed to enjoy stuff.”

“Are we gonna..?” I trailed off, opening his eyes to look at him.

“Not if you keep staring at me like that. You look terrified, what's the matter?”

“I feel so confused. I'm learning a lot of things about myself. I know that I should be pushing you away, never wanting to see you again, but I think I fell in love with you this week. I learned about the things you do, how smart you are, and in that sense I kind of accepted that you were a different person to the man I was dating anyway.” I told him, and he gave me an unimpressed look.

“Don't fool yourself. If you wanna fuck the dirty old letch that's been using you all week, don't try and convince yourself it's because you _love_ me. Don't rationalise it; it is what it is. The sooner you accept that, the less it's gonna fuck you up mentally in the long run. We can talk about love later. But right now, you don't love me; you love what I do to you.” Rick told me, gripping my waist and pushing me off of him onto the sofa. He crawled over me, kneeling between my legs, all the while I stared up at him, flabbergasted.

“You- you can read me like a book, how the hell can you do that?”

“I get the feeling that you've been told all of your life that sex and love go hand in hand and you should only sleep with someone if you are certain that you're in love. Maybe it's religious parents, maybe it's the media, whatever, something has taught you to be ashamed of your own urges. You need to unlearn that shit. Let your libido rule you for once, follow your fucking urges.”

“Okay, but my problem is with why I'm _having_ said urges. I shouldn't want to sleep with you. It's wrong on so many levels.” I shook my head, noticing the flood of pleasure I got when he grabbed my thigh and roughly pushed it upwards, forcing my legs apart so he could nestle his hips between them.

“Because wrong might as well be another word for taboo. Taboo is hot, if something isn't right, it's probably sexy to someone. Maybe you've got a thing for dirty old men? Maybe being used is some undiscovered fetish of yours? That's a point, do you have any fetishes you'd like me to know about? I could make this even better for you.” He was so fucking confident, leaning over me with his cocksure attitude and his ability to look sexy without trying. I realised I fucking admired him for it. It was something I could never pull off.

“I- I don't know.” I mumbled, trying to compose myself and stop staring at him with wide eyes.

“You've got a thing for being called a good girl, though, right? You liked that last night, didn't you?” He said, his voice dropping an octave, and he rolled his hips slowly into mine. I fucking _whimpered_. “You like being my good girl?” He added, a filthy purr. I nodded my head.

“I like it…” I whispered pathetically, and Rick chuckled.

“So you enjoy praise. Good to know.” He said, bending down and kissing my neck.  
“I know you like this, too.” He mumbled against my skin. I hummed in approval, nodding my head slightly. I moaned softly when he sucked hard on my neck, writhing beneath him; my hips searched for some friction. “Let Daddy take care of you.” He added.

“Daddy?” I repeated. “You… you'd like me to call you that? I know my Rick did.” I asked, my voice wobbling when I felt a hand slide down my body, squeezing and groping as it went in a way that was far from gentle.

“Mmmh, fuck. Yeah, call me that.” His voice was like a growl, and he thrust against me roughly. I could feel his cock against my core, rock hard and thick, I cursed under my breath and squeezed my eyes shut. “You're so fucking hot.” He said, sitting up and reaching for the strap around my neck that held my dress up, tugging the little bow undone and pulling the front of my bodice down to reveal my bare breasts. Rick's hands immediately grabbed at my chest, squeezing me beneath his palms, his eyes hungrily feasting on the display.

“I can't believe this is happening.” I said, feeling my heart pounding in my chest. I looked him up and down, at his aroused, flushed expression, his slender frame towering over me, the bulge in his pants. Fuck, my Rick or not, he looked good. “God, are we gonna- let's just do this.” I breathed, reaching up and pushing his coat off of his shoulders. He pulled his shirt off next, before reaching for my dress. He pulled it upwards, and with a little help from me he ridded me of it, dropping it on the floor. My underwear came next, and he pulled them down my legs swiftly; just like that, I was naked. He moved back on the sofa, laying down between my legs.

“I'm gonna make you come so hard. Fuck, I can't wait to taste you, this pussy looks so good. God I can't believe, can't believe…” he trailed off and shook his head before diving his tongue into my center, groaning. He sucked on the most sensitive part of me, his tongue flicking against the little bump fast and erratic. I couldn't suppress the needy, blissful sounds I made. I widened my legs for him, one hanging off the edge of the couch while the other hooked over his shoulder. His hand roamed my thigh, slender fingers caressing and lighting my every nerve on fire.

“Oh God, you're so good. Thank you, thank you…” I whimpered, tangling my fingers in his hair and arching my back. With shy tentativeness, I added; “Daddy.” The word always felt naughty. Dirty. My heart raced faster and I couldn't help but notice my arousal increase with that single utterance. Rick seemed to appreciate it too, given his loud groan and his eagerness to slide a finger inside me. He immediately hooked the digit, finding my g-spot as if he was a professional at it.

“You're my good little girl, aren't you? Such a good… good little sweetheart.” He mumbled, lifting his head to lock eyes with me for a few short moments before getting back to work.

“Yeah, Daddy.” I sighed, involuntarily rocking my hips against his fingers when he inserted a second one.

“You gonna come for Daddy? Nice and loud. I wanna hear it when you do, baby. And I wanna see you get this couch nice and wet baby, soak it for Daddy. Let me know how much you like it.” His tone was a combination of soft encouragement and absolute filth. I'd never heard Rick speak like this before, and I'd never been so close to orgasm so quickly. 

Ricks lips formed a seal around my clitoris, and he alternated between sucking gently and rolling it around with the firm tip of his tongue; all the while his fingers stroked rhythmically over that wonderful spot inside me. He was fucking amazing at this, he made it seem like a damn art form. His other hand slid up my body to play with my breasts, and he stared me in the eye as he worked. I'd never seen something so erotic before, and I felt my body lurch towards climax.

“Al-almost there! Holy shit-” I gasped, a breathy laugh following my words. “I feel like I'm going to explode. What're you doing to me?” I asked, and I felt the vibrations as Rick laughed against me, and it only added to it all. I felt my legs begin to shake and my toes curled, my body tensed and I could do no more than just lay there panting with my lips in a little circle, just waiting for my arousal to reach tipping point. 

Rick pushed a third finger inside me, scissoring them all and stretching me out in an incredible way. He pressed his mouth harder against me, shaking his head from side to side and humming out a groan that sent vibrations all over; it was all I needed.

“Shit, daddy, fuck! C-coming!” I wailed almost incoherently, rocking my hips rhythmically between his face and his hand as the waves cascaded over me. When it's intensity subsided, I realised I'd grabbed onto the wrist of the hand that was squeezing my breast, and consciously loosened my grip as the haze lifted, and I came back down to earth. I opened my eyes, not even realising I'd closed them, and looked down. He had little red crescent shapes peppering his arm. “Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean-” I started, but Rick didn't even seem to care.

“God you're perfect, I just wanna do that all- all fucking day baby. C’mere.” He shifted above me, coming closer to me and shoving his clothed hard on against my almost painfully sensitive core. He dragged the back of his hand over his mouth, which was glistening to an almost embarrassing extent from my climax, before kissing me. His tongue danced eagerly with mine, and he tasted like me and alcohol. “You, you ready for Daddy's cock now, sweetie?” I nodded my head quickly. “Good girl. You're so good.” He cooed quietly, not taking his eyes off my face as he reached for his belt. His words of praise affected me more than they should, and I felt my body heat up, arousal not yet quelled. He was quick to rid himself of the rest of his clothes, and soon he was stroking the head of his engorged length against my opening. He pressed forward, sinking into me deliciously slowly.

“Rick, closer; I need-” I babbled, reaching for his arms and urging him close to me. His chest met mine, and he pressed his face into my neck. I felt his shaky breath dance over me, and despite it's warmth, it rose goosebumps. Rick pulled back slowly, burying himself pelvis deep with a swift thrust only moments later. He repeated this motion over and over, fucking me slow but hard, and I could savor every burst of pleasure each time his hips met mine.

“Mm, so- so good, sweetie. You're like velvet around my cock, so perfect, I can't wait to make you come again. To feel you, fuck! T-ahh- talk dirty to me. I wanna hear you talk dirty.” He murmured into my neck, it felt wet from what I assumed was drool.

“I don't know what to say.” I told him after a pause. 

“Jus- just tell me what you like. What gets you off, t-tell me anything. Wh-whatever you say, it-it'll be ho-ugh-t.” He encouraged, thrusting his hips more deeply, finishing each one with a slow, upward grind, stimulating my engorged clit. I let loose a whimper.

“I-I like it when you do it like that. When you stay deep inside me and, and rub up against me like that. It feels amazing-” I said quietly, my voice wobbly from a mixture of embarrassment and pleasure. In response, Rick did just what I'd mentioned, rocking against me, buried to the hilt, the coarseness of his pubic hair stimulated me in a unique way. It had me wrapping my legs around his waist in a bid to keep him there.

“W-What else, baby?” he grunted, rolling his hips slow and sensual, shallow thrusts making my lower half feel like nothing but blissful warmth.

“When you hold onto my ass, squeeze me and hold me tight against you. Makes me feel… safe.” I told him, and his hands found their way to my backside. “I like pet names. I like to hear you moaning, heavy breathing, anything… sounds do a lot for me.” I admitted, and Rick suddenly picked up the pace of his thrusts. The sudden change really did something for me, and an embarrassingly desperate moan escaped me.

“Shit, baby. You-you’re daddy's little princess. Ahh, you like that? Like being my princess?” He lifted his head, moving one hand from my backside to hold himself up above me, leaving barely a centimeter of space between our torsos.

“Princess.” I repeated breathlessly, nodding my head with vigor. Rick looked a little dazed, completely aroused and caught up in the moment. His eyes were dark and glazed and they bored into mine possessively.

“Keep- keep talking.” He said, words followed up with a pleasured sigh.

“I like how it feels when… when you come. Especially when we aren't using a condom. The way you fill me up, so warm, god…” I told him, getting braver. My mouth hung open as the warmth and the tingles completely took over, it was all consuming, my entire body hummed. A second orgasm would not be far away.

“Ohh, fuck. Fuck, more. Dirtier.” He growled, fucking me into the couch harder, I could hear the springs protest.

“I like that you're old enough to be my dad. Fuck, grandpa even. I like that you're experienced, compared to me you're a professional in bed. It-it makes me feel so small and like you, you own me, like you'll take care of me.” I said, and I couldn't tell how loud I was talking. The words just rushed out of me in a wave of honesty and unfiltered thought. “And I like calling you Daddy. You could do anything to me, Rick. I'm down for anything with you. I wanna learn, I wanna be your special little girl. Daddy's little princess.” 

“Ohh fuck yes.” He wailed, deep and animalistic. His face scrunched up and I felt him pulsing inside me, I let the sensation of him filling me up with his seed push me into oblivion. My second orgasm was more intense than the first, and it just went on and on as Rick continued to thrust into me, forcing his ejaculate out of my body, making a horrendous mess between us that in the throws of passion, I found incredibly hot. 

When all the erratic movements and loud, unbridled cries of ecstasy died down, I barely had a moment to catch my breath before Rick was kissing me. It was sloppy and uncoordinated but it was full of need and passion, I melted into it, trying not to think about the wet, sticky mess between my thighs and whether or not it had hit sofa yet. I slid my fingers into his hair, tilting his head so I could get a better angle, and plunged my tongue into his mouth. He groaned into me, giving another few shallow thrusts of his hips, regardless of his softening cock. He was drawing out every last morsel of pleasure in me.

“I love you.” I exhaled against his lips, I assume out of habit. Rick merely groaned in response, giving one last thrust, harsher than the rest. 

Rick shifted, pulling out of me gently, yet making no effort to move away from me. I traced my fingers up and down his spine, ready to just stay like this, entwined with him for as long as possible. He was staring at me, this look of deep thought and analysis on his face.  
“What're you thinking about?” I asked, tilting my head. Rick glanced down at my lips as I spoke.

“About h-how much of a weight has been lifted now that you know.” He said. “And how I was not expecting to do _this_ right after telling you the truth. Now that it's over and done with, I-I'm realising how fucked up this is.” He added, pushing off of me and sitting down on the sofa, dragging a hand over his face. I glanced down at myself, at the mess coating my inner thighs, and decided it was best not to move. 

“We knew that it was fucked up before we did it.” I reminded him.

“Yeah but, I just can't believe you aren't mad at me.” He said, and I considered this for a moment.

“I am mad at you. Of course I am, I'd be crazy not to be.” I told him. He glanced over at me, looking rightfully confused. “But I also… sort of need you.” I looked away from him and sighed. “You're right. I have issues that need seeing to. I've never given it much thought, but I don't like to tackle my problems. I prefer to ignore them. And I guess that's exactly what I'm doing. Letting you in and giving myself to you is a good distraction from the truth that you haven't explicitly said, but I'm well aware of.”

“What's that?” He asked.

“That my Rick is dead.” I replied, staring at the coffee table, practically burning a hole in it with my gaze. Rick's lack of response was enough to tell me that I'd hit the nail on the head. “Just be honest with me, no more lies. I just want a yes or no answer, and I won't push for details. Did you kill him?” 

“No.” He said without missing a beat. I believed him. I nodded my head and took a shaky breath. 

“I guess it's hard to grieve, with you sitting right next to me.” I sighed, looking back at him. He was watching me with a sad expression- no, it was pity. “You're him. I…I just can't see it any other way. My Rick isn't dead because he's right here.”

“But I'm not-”

“Oh shut up. You are most definitely my Rick. Despite the lies, you can't deny that there's been something there this week. You wouldn't still be here if there wasn't.” I said, and Rick couldn't deny it. He nodded softly. “And you said the L word yesterday, unprovoked. Granted, you were drunk and it was right after sex. But I know you don't use that word lightly.”

“I did.” Was his only response.

“Now I'm not an idiot, I know that doesn't mean that you _actually_ love me. But it means there's something there. Even if it's a tiny shred of affection.” I said, and he nodded. He looked like a schoolboy getting told off, nodding his head, accepting every word I said. I didn't like that. “Open up, Rick. Be honest. Tell me exactly how you feel about me, because I really need to know if I'm going to keep doing this.”

“I'm bad at talking about these things, it conflicts with everything I stand for and believe in.” He argued, and I narrowed my eyes at him.

“Well then. I'm going to take a shower. I need to think about what I'm going to do.” I said, gingerly pushing up from the sofa, wincing at the sensation of Rick's ejaculate leaving my body as I did. I waddled off the the bathroom, turning on the shower and waiting for the water to heat up. I stepped in shortly after, enjoying the hot water as it pounded over my skin. I let it rinse away the evidence of what had just gone down, and sighed as it worked on my tense muscles. I just stood under the stream for about ten minutes, unable to will my body to move.

I wasn't surprised when the shower curtain was pulled back, and Rick stepped in. I'd left the bathroom door unlocked on purpose. He stepped up behind me and placed his hands on my hips, resting his forehead against the top of my back. “You want me to be honest?” he asked.

“Yes.” I said, straining to hear him over the crash of flowing water.

“Over these last few days, I-I've found myself unwilling to tell you the truth. I tried to tell myself it was because it would be an inconvenience. I told myself it was cause the sex was a nice bonus and I didn't wanna lose that. I ignored everything that suggested otherwise. B-but really, I just liked spending time with you. I-I liked that you treated me with affection, kindness, love. I haven't felt those things in a long time; and while I don't need them to function, it was definitely nice. But I liked it too much, I craved it, and whether I like to admit it or not, I wanted to return it. Ev-every time you got close to me, I just felt… warm, jittery, fucking pathetic. I got that feeling in my gut that everyone talks about. But it just made me feel sick. Honestly, I hate it. I hate that you make me feel like this, but I just can't bring myself to put a stop to it; because it's addictive. That, that's the thing with oxytocin. I know that it's just a chemical floating around my body, making me feel things I don't wanna feel, but that doesn't make me immune to it.” He said, and I never thought I'd hear so much honesty from him. I felt my heart hammering in my chest.

“Every time I kissed you, or even just sat next to you, I felt more and more sucked in. I-I began to really care about you, I wanted to make you happy. That's why I took you to S-sycleria, and to that concert, because I thought you'd enjoy it. But when you told me about you kissing that other Rick, I realised that I'm doing exactly what he tried to do. An-and I fucking hate that guy. It made me realise that I couldn't put it off any longer. So I decided to tell you the truth. Honestly, before that, I wasn't planning on telling you at all. Not really.” He continued, straightening up reaching a hand to my hair, stroking his fingers through it.

“Like I said, it's been a long time since I felt anything like this. It's not something I seek, nor wanted to stumble across by accident. Relationships have never worked out for me, so I figured it would just make my life easier if I avoided them. But I don't know… I don't want to avoid you. S-so that's it. That's my honest feelings.” he finished. Well, it wasn't a profession of love, but I hadn't been expecting that. It told me everything I needed to know. Rick cared about me. Yes, he had also used me, taken advantage of the situation, but it had backfired on him. I was sure Rick hadn't expected to develop feelings for me, but I hadn't expected to give him a chance after I'd found out the truth. Relationships were very complicated things. They didn't always turn out how you wanted them to. “Now… maybe you could tell me your honest feelings about me.” He asked.

“Well, I'll try.” I started. It felt better not having to look at him, so I didn't bother to turn and face him. “I'm disgusted that I unknowingly gave myself up to you. I trusted you, thinking you were my Rick. I feel hurt that you abused that trust. But… I can't help it, I still feel attached. I need to be close to you, I crave to hear words of affection, I can't imagine turning you away and never seeing you again. Sure, this could be leftover feelings from my relationship with my Rick, and it probably is to some extent. But there is definitely something in my heart for you. The things I have learned over these last few days have made me all the more attracted. It's you that I've been spending this time with, not him, and that fills me with desire for _you_. I know that it's a messed up situation, but I can't help but want you regardless.” I explained. Rick pressed a kiss against my shoulder. “The fact that we just slept together again says a lot about me. That I forgive far too easily, and you are my kryptonite. When it comes to you, Rick, I can't help it. I will let you take what you need from me, because in doing that, I'm taking what I need from you.” 

“So what are we gonna do?” Rick asked after a pause. I shrugged my shoulders.

“Who knows? First of all, I'm going to finish up in here, then I'm going to bed. I need to sleep on this. I… I think it's probably best if you go home. We'll talk tomorrow.” I said. 

“Okay.” Rick said, his voice small and quiet. “Please can you just- if-if there's a possibility that you'll wake up tomorrow absolutely hating my guts and never wanting to speak to me again, c-can you just tell me now?”

“Well, I'm not going to say that it isn't possibility, but… it's unlikely.” I admitted. Rick nodded, and his hands fell away from my body. I turned to look at him. He looked me up and down, allowing his gaze to flow over my body. I swear I could see longing in his eyes, but that could've just been me.

“I guess I'll see you tomorrow then?” He said, reaching for the shower curtain. I nodded my head. He stepped out of the shower, and he was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Were you surprised by readers reaction? I sure was. I did have a whole thing planned about her being angry and Rick having to grovel... But I've done that before in other fics and it sounded boring and predictable, plus as I was writing it just sort of flowed into this naturally? I hope you like it :)


	11. Give it a Shot

“Mm, that's it baby. You're _mine_ now.” Rick thrummed into my ear, leaning in close, biting on my earlobe. I whimpered underneath him, grip tightening on his labcoat. His body moved in sync with mine, his hips rolled and I bucked to meet every thrust, my body turning to liquid under his unrelenting attention. “All mine. You like that?”

“Yes, Rick! I'm yours.” I uttered in a breathless, desperate voice. He fucked me harder into the mattress, hooking his arm around my waist and pulling our chests flush together. I squeezed my eyes shut and rested my chin on his shoulder, gripping him just as tightly as he held me. His grunts came in time with my mewls, and my whole body throbbed with the anticipation of climax. 

“Sweetie, w-w-what are you doing?” Rick's voice came again, somewhat softer; defeated, even. My eyes flashed open and I saw him standing at the foot of the bed, watching me. My mouth hung open, body still being ravished by the same man who somehow stood feet away as an onlooker. “I thought you were _mine_. I thought you loved me.” He continued, and a sickening chill permeated all over my body starting at the top of my skull.

“I do love you.” I squeaked, unable to muster the effort required to take control of the situation, my climax just lapping at the edges, so close.

“Then why are you doing that with _him_?” he asked me, then faded out of view as my eyes clenched shut, and I was awash with immense pleasure.

I woke with a start, my body jolting on my bed as my eyes opened suddenly to the darkness of my room. I sat up, hair sticking to my neck, clothes clinging to my body, damp with sweat. The achy throb of my arousal was instantly front and centre in my mind, and I groaned in mild annoyance at the state I found myself in. The annoyance only lasted for a moment, and was quickly replaced with a crippling sense of guilt and sadness as I replayed the dream in my head.

Rick had looked so disappointed. So hurt. It was a look I didn't recall ever seeing on his face, yet my mind had done a painfully good job of conjuring it up. The reality of my situation hit me, a barrage of unstoppable emotion wracked my body and before I could register it, I was sobbing. _He was gone_. My Rick. Despite the confusion of having him a phone call or a five minute walk away, I couldn't help but face the agonizing truth that the man I fell in love with, the only man I'd ever fallen in love with; was gone.

But despite it all, my body still ached for the Rick I'd spent the last week with. He was an exciting, confusing, enchanting breath of fresh air, and I knew that living without him at this point just wasn't an option. I wanted him, no, _needed_ him to hold me, to own me, to make everything better. When I was blessed with his touch I was blessed with the ability to not think. I wasn't going to pretend that it was the healthiest of desires, far from it, but it was a need that I couldn't shift. 

I was hanging in a strange kind of limbo, where I missed him, but at the same time couldn't possibly. Where I yearned for him, but felt guilty for doing so. I wanted my Rick back, but I didn't want to lose the one I'd grown so enamoured with. The one who took me to strange, beautiful worlds, who shared himself with me in ways my original Rick failed to, who was just beginning to open up to me. The lines were blurred between the two men I had shared myself so intimately with, but I could no longer ignore the fact that they weren't one and the same, they were two different people, two different sets of memories and experiences, two different personalities that were so similar, yet somehow distinct.

I also couldn't ignore the fact that when it all boiled down to it, none of it mattered. I had no choice in any of it. I couldn't have my old Rick back, and the new one wasn't going anywhere soon. The only thing I had any control over, was the nature of our relationship, and even that couldn't be entirely dictated by my logical mind. Things were too fuzzy, my feelings were too intense. My ability to resist Rick Sanchez had always been rocky, and now so more than ever. 

~

“...k… ick… _Rick_.” Morty's voice slowly roused me from my slumber. I lifted my head to find myself hunched over my desk in the garage. It took me a moment to realise what the fuck had happened last night when my head began to pound, and I noticed the empty vodka bottle sitting underneath my lax hand. 

“Wh-?” I mumbled, sitting up and rubbing my eyes.

“Breakfast is almost ready. D-did you sleep in here all night?” Morty asked, and I looked over at him in confusion. My mind was so foggy, I'd most certainly gotten shit-faced last night, to the point where I still felt inebriated.

“I dunno… gi-give me a minute.” I said, fumbling around underneath my desk for the vial of pink liquid I kept on hand for situations just like this. I uncorked the glass, and downed its contents, quickly beginning to feel better. The fog was lifting, and I was able to start stringing together coherent thoughts. I quickly remembered what had happened last night. I remembered telling (y/n) the truth, and my stomach made a nauseated lurch at the thought. Things had gone a hell of a lot better than I'd assumed, but still, what the fuck had happened last night? She didn't even seem all that angry, hell she fucking slept with me. I still didn't understand exactly why.

“Y-you okay? Where did you and (y/n) go last night?” Morty asked, coming up to stand beside me, rubbing at his wrist anxiously. I looked him up and down, deciding how much I should tell him.

“I took her out to a bar in another dimension, then we came home, an-and…” I sighed, glancing around my desk. It looked like I'd done some work on the bird feeder at some point, albeit sloppy work. 

“And?” Morty prompted.

“I told her the truth, Morty.” I finally said. His eyes went wide, mouth falling open. 

“How'd she take it?” He asked after taking a moment to compose himself. I chuckled at his question, a few innuendos springing to mind. 

“Good question, Morty. I-I'm not even sure myself. She got a little upset, understandably, bu-but then she started spouting all this crap about wanting me to erase her memory, wishing I'd never told her. Then we- we had…” I trailed off and glanced at Morty, wondering how he'd react to the truth. “We kissed.” I added, deciding to leave the raw details out.

“You kissed?” Morty repeated, a disbelieving look on his face. “After sh-she knew about everything?” 

“Yeah, Morty. I'm just as weirded out as you are.” I sighed, burying my head in my hands and staring down at the desk. “We're gonna talk about it today, I guess. B-but this could go any way, kid. I have no idea how she's gonna feel today.”

“Well, how do you want it to go?” Morty asked me, and I closed my eyes, not particularly wanting to answer.

“Doesn't matter what I want.” I settled on, pushing up from the desk. My head was still throbbing, but it was bearable. I headed towards the door, beckoning Morty to follow. “Come on, let's just get some breakfast.” 

The family were already seated around the table when we joined them, and I slumped down into my seat and silently tucked into the scrambled eggs on toast that Beth had provided. I grunted in appreciation. “Thank you, Beth. Th-this is a great breakfast.”

“Dad, are you feeling okay, you look…” she trailed off, and I glanced up at her in time to see her hide a wince.

“You look like crap, grandpa.” A second voice added.

“Thanks, Summer.” I deadpanned, glaring over at her.

“What did you and (y/n) get up to last night that was so great that you couldn't bring your favorite granddaughter along?” She asked, chewing on a mouthful of toast.

“Is that a wise question, Summer?” I asked, watching her stop chewing and her expression slowly turn into a grimace. “Didn't think so.”

“Uhh, I heard that you told (y/n) about your work. That's pretty big, dad. Does that mean… things are becoming more serious with you two?” Beth asked. I stared down at my plate, keeping my expression neutral.

“Either that or everything's about to fall to shit.” I shrugged. 

“What does that mean?” She asked.

“Yeah, did something happen between you two last night?” Summer asked, and my eyes flashed up at the people around me.

“W-what is this? Is this some kind of, of interrogation? Ca-can I not just enjoy my breakfast?” I snapped, feeling the urge to storm out of the room because I _really_ didn't need this. All three sets of eyes in the room stared at me in surprise, though Morty's expression also held a frown, one of concern. I looked back down at my plate, avoiding everyone else's gaze. I continued eating, scarfing down my food as quickly as humanly possible just so I could get the fuck out of there. Once I was done, I silently excused myself, heading back to the comfort of my garage.

I felt so agitated and short tempered, and I realised it was because of this underlying feeling in my stomach. It was sickly and unpleasant, and I recognized it as nervousness. If I was completely honest with myself, I was dreading seeing (y/n) again, I had no idea if she was going to hate me after having the chance to think things through. I had no choice but to admit to myself that I felt something for her, whether I liked it or not. I didn't want things to end with her, but I couldn't continue to lie. It was getting exhausting, second guessing everything I said, feeling slightly guilty every time I touched her, it was a shitty way to live when I was spending so much time with her. It was my best option to just take the risk and tell her the truth, and while it had been hard, I knew it was the right thing to do.

I closed my eyes and thought back to the previous night. I pictured the way she leaned into me, sobbing like mad, clinging onto me like I was the last thing keeping her alive. It was about the most difficult thing I'd ever had to do, to keep my composure and make out like it didn't bother me. But fuck, seeing her lose it like that, it had felt like an unpredicted kick to the gut. Knowing it was me that had caused it, I'd never felt guilt like it.

A hand on my shoulder made me jump, and I opened my eyes in a flash to see who it was. I damn near threw up on the spot when I saw _her_ looking down at me, expression unreadable. She took in my appearance, which by now I was sure must've been a little more than disheveled, and took a seat on the desk beside me. To be fair she didn't look like her usual self, her eyes were underlined with pink rims and dark circles, and she looked like she could fall asleep at any moment. I didn't really know what to say.

“Hi.” Was all that sprung to mind.

“Good morning.” She said, a little smile on her lips. “Morty told me I could find you in here. I hope I'm not interrupting your work, or anything.” She added, her voice vaguely formal, overly polite. She reached for the bird feeder on my desk, picking it up and inspecting it. Things were silent for a long time, and for some reason, I felt the need to fill it.

“I-it's not finished, but, you see this little hatch here?” I asked as I pointed to the area I was referring to on the bottom of the feeder. She nodded. “When the squirrel climbs on, it releases a small amount of food into this dish right here. The mesh is made from a metal you don't find on earth, no squirrel will ever be able to chew through it. An-and the hatch is on a timer, so it's not gonna be able to come along and keep activating it, stealing all of the food. I uh, I played around with a few different ideas, I considered having it release an appetite suppressor so the squirrel would lose interest, but I figured…You wouldn't like that.” I explained, and watched her face light up a little, though it was clear she was trying to retain her composure.

“Thank you, this looks perfect.” She nodded her head and smiled at me, placing it back down on the desk.

“It still needs some tweaking, I worked on it last night but I was a little… drunk, s-so I'm gonna need to redo it.” I chuckled sheepishly, glancing away from her. I heard her take a deep breath, it was a little shaky, and I wondered if she felt as nervous as I did.

“I thought I'd come over so we could talk. Is now a good time?” She asked, and I nodded my head, forcing myself to look up at her. 

“Yeah, th-this is a great time, let me just- I'm gonna lock the door. So we can have privacy.” I said, hating the way I suddenly sounded like a twelve year old, my voice betraying my nerves. I walked across the garage, locking up the door before turning to face her. I pushed my hands into my pockets and made my way slowly back over to her, keeping my eyes focused on her feet as they swung back and forth over the edge of the desk. “So… you wanna just, say what you gotta say?” I said, stopping a few feet away from her.

“Sure.” She nodded, wringing her hands together in front of her. “This is… so weird.” She laughed nervously before clearing her throat. “Okay, Rick. I thought a lot about this last night; honestly I barely slept a wink. But I think it's sinking in now. I'm starting to wrap my head around what's actually going on here and to be honest… I don't feel so great.” She admitted, eyes fixed on the ground.

“Is it because you regret what happened last night? After I told you?” I hazarded a guess, and in reality it was something I'd been expecting. Something I'd had floating in the back of my mind while it was happening. I ignored it of course, cause I'm a fucking asshole.

“No, no… I don't regret that.” She looked up at me, a sincere look in those pretty eyes of hers. “It's nothing like that. It's more about my Rick. My _old_ Rick, I guess.”

“What about him?” I asked, she seemed to be finding it difficult to talk about it.

“I'm feeling guilty.” She finally admitted with a deep sigh. “I just feel like, he gave so much to me, you know? He was my first everything, in a way he shaped who I am, and in such a relatively short time. And I'm just… treating his existence like it never happened, or something. Like he's replaceable. But I can't help it! I'm just not that sad. I'm not grieving. I don't how to deal with that.” her lips pouted just slightly, and I watched her eyes turn glossy. 

“You know, (y/n), I wish I could say something to help you but, I'm just shitty with these things. I know that you must be hurting but I guess… there's no right way to feel after losing someone.” I offered, chewing on my bottom lip. “Is that good? Does that help?”

“Not really.” She laughed dryly, but offered me a thankful smile nonetheless. “It's just very confusing. I don't know if I really believe in an afterlife, or heaven or hell, or whatever. But I can't help but feel like he'd be looking down at me in disgust.” 

I snorted, not catching my amusement in time. She was visibly taken aback by my laughter. “I'm sorry, it's just… he wouldn't be looking _down_ at you. I mean, if there is a heaven and hell, catch my drift?” 

“Oh.” Her voice was small. 

“Listen, sweetie, don't let guilt control you. If-if we all did that, well, I wouldn't get anything done. That's for sure. And I'm a Rick, right? I'd say if he is watching you, he'd rather see you grabbing life by the balls and just doing whatever the fuck you want.” I stepped towards her, placing my hands on the tops of her arms and rubbing comfortingly. “Life is short. In the grand scheme of things, the human lifespan is just a blip, barely there. You gotta just… live it. Don't think too hard about stuff.” I told her.

“You have a point. But I guess I have some questions.”

“Alright, well, I'm happy to answer them.” I told her, and she nodded slowly.

“I suppose I wanna know if, the way you acted this week, the person you were… was that actually you? Or were you acting differently because you knew what my Rick was like from your headset thingie.” She asked. It was a reasonable question.

“Honestly, I didn't make an effort to act a certain way. What you saw, that was pretty much just me.” I told her, and she nodded her head.

“Okay, and if, say, I were to forgive everything and try to make a relationship with you work, would this be a brand new relationship or would it be like we've been dating for six months? This confuses me because you and I are on very different pages. When you came here, I was considering asking Rick to move in with me, things felt very serious… but obviously, you've only known me for a week. God, that's such a short time, follow up question; would you even _want_ a relationship with me?” She asked me, obviously getting stressed the more she thought about it. I took a shaky breath and considered my answer. That was a difficult question; the first one, at least.

“I don't know about that first one. I mean, I wouldn't want our relationship to be tagged onto the end of another one, if that makes sense? I guess I would wanna treat it like a fresh start, but at the same time… I think we're past taking things slowly. I mean, I don't know about moving in together, but the pace we were at this week felt good to me.” I admitted. “And as for whether I want a relationship with you? I definitely want to try.” I said, hoping that my answer would please her somehow. She didn't give me any hints with her expression, though, she simply nodded her head again.

“So… this isn't about you using me, still? You aren't just doing this; trying to string me along, just so you can have sex with me?” She asked, and I felt myself frown. That question honestly hurt, not because I was offended, but because it was a genuine worry of hers. It reflected more about her opinion of herself then her opinion of me.

“Not at all. As great as sex with you is, that's not all I'm after.” I assured her. “I liked being able to share things with someone, this week. Someone that isn't my fucking grandson. Someone who knows me, understands all my shitty traits but still spends time with me; not because they have to, but because they want to. And I think you're a great person to be around; you're talented and smart, you're passionate, kind hearted. I-I need a person like that it my life. And I don't know what it is about you, but you make me feel in ways I haven't felt in a long time, and in some ways that I've _never_ felt.” I told her. It was getting easier to express my feelings to her. I knew from past relationships that this was a sign that things were only going to get more intense, and that simultaneously terrified me and made me want to smile. One by one my reservations were fading into the background, and I wanted to throw caution to the wind and just fucking enjoy this.

She reached up and held onto the lapels of my labcoat, and she stared into my chest, I could tell she was thinking. “Although you're not the Rick I fell in love with, I can't deny that you are special to me. You've shown me things that my Rick never did; the fact that he erased my memory every time he tried suggests to me that he just wasn't that bothered about sharing it with me. The memories I've made over this last week are some of the most treasured I have with you, and that says a lot, doesn't it?” 

She smoothed her hands over my chest, sliding them up and down soothingly. When she finally looked me in the eye, my heart began to pound. 

“I want to give this a shot.” She told me with a determined nod of her head. I felt a shit load of tension that I didn't realise I had in my body just release at those words. 

“You do?” I asked.

“Yes.” She said, sliding her hands up to wrap around the back of my neck. “Is that okay with you?”

I laughed. “Yeah, it's more than okay.” I told her. She gently pulled me down to her level, I was expecting her to kiss me, but she stopped just shy of my lips.

“Now, Rick. Don't take this as me forgiving and forgetting, I'm not over this. You're going to have to work to gain my trust.” She told me. Her breath rolled over my lips and I wanted so badly to kiss her.

“I-I understand.” I nodded my head, staring down at those sweet pink lips. I was done waiting, so I was the one to close the gap. It was just a short kiss, I didn't want to push my luck. When I pulled back to look at her, she was smiling.

“Good.” She let go of me, leaning back and putting space between us. I couldn't help but feel disappointed about the loss of contact. “I was planning on going to help out at the soup kitchen today, but… I think we should get together later. We should probably actually, you know, talk about ourselves. I think I know a fair bit about you, but you don't really know me.”

“I feel like I know a lot.” I said, every though realistically I knew she was right. So, she liked art and animals and she was a good person… That's about it. The thought worried me, and had to ask myself why the fuck I was jumping into this. I couldn't bring myself to stop, though, so I ignored the thoughts. “But you're right. It would be nice to learn a little more about you.” I nodded.

“Alright, well, how about we grab dinner? I'll take you to my favorite place, I can almost guarantee you haven't been there before.” She suggested, an excited little grin forming on her face. 

“Yeah, sure. Shall I pick you up from your place?” I asked, and she nodded.

“Sounds good. How is six o'clock for you?” 

“Suits me.” I smiled.

“Alright.” She said with finality, hopping down from the desk. “I'll see you later.” She said quietly, stepping close to me. She seemed to hesitate for just a moment, before pressing a single kiss to my cheek. She headed towards the door right after that, glancing back only once to offer me a smile, before she left. I didn't quite know what to do with myself, suddenly alone in the garage; after a moment my legs carried me back over to the desk, and I automatically continued work on the goddamn birdfeeder. 


	12. Minty's

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the long wait on this chapter! I was struggling with writers block and found it hard to write anything other than smutty oneshots over on Tumblr :') 
> 
> Anyway, I've embedded a link to some music in this chapter (the link should be underlined!). You don't necessarily have to listen to it, but if you can have it playing in the background I thought it summed up the atmosphere I wanted from the location of this chapter. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this! Again, I'm sorry for the wait <3

It occurred to me that this was one of the few times I'd seen Rick in anything other than his lab coat. He'd dressed in a blue button down shirt, and his ordinary brown pants; okay so it wasn't wildly different from his usual attire, but it still surprised me when I opened the front door to him at bang on six o'clock. He gave me a once over when he saw me, I'd opted for a pair of dark navy jeans and a semi-smart blouse, and some low heels. I smiled at him and stepped out onto the porch, closing the front door behind me.

“I hope you're hungry.” Was my greeting, and he led me towards his ship.

“I hope you're good at giving directions, wh-where exactly am I driving?” He asked with a chuckle. We climbed into the car, and I buckled up, considering how best to describe our destinations location.

“Drive towards Morty's school. We can park there and walk the rest of the way, it's not far.” I told him, and with a nod, he set off.

“So what is this place, is it a restaurant?” He asked, and I nodded my head.

“Yeah, kind of. Not a fancy one, though. It's not very well known, either. It's one of those places that always sees the same faces, every night. The owner is part of my bird watching community, that's how I heard about it.” I told him, staring out of the window, looking down at the streets below as we flew above the rooftops.

“D-did you, uh, go there a lot with your Rick?” He asked me after a pause, and I glanced over at him.

“Never. That's why I chose it.” I told him honestly, and he seemed pleased with my answer.

We arrived at the school in no time, and Rick landed his ship at the side of the road. We climbed out, and I wandered over to him and interlaced our fingers without a word. I led us down the street, passing a number of restaurants before we came to a side street. It was a pretty grotty area, full of run down stores and empty flats, and I could feel Rick's eyes on me, questioning. We came to a red door with peeling paint and a sign above it that read _’Minty's’_ in a black, curly font.

“No. It's not a strip club or a brothel, or whatever.” I teased, noticing his odd expression. I pulled open the door, which led to a set of narrow stairs leading up to the upper floor. I grinned at him before ascending, hearing each step creak as I did. Music could be heard as we neared the top step, and once we reached it we were greeted with another door. This one had a window in it, and warm light poured out onto the landing. I peeked through the window, taking note of the few familiar faces I saw inside, before pushing open the door and entering the room.

It was a small establishment, with just enough room for six tables, half of them were taken up, and this was about as busy as it got. There was a bar directly on your right as you entered, and it was old and weathered and built from dark wood. The place was dimly lit with candles on every table and low hanging lights above the bar. The walls were covered in artwork; all of it donated by patrons. The carpet was deep red and garishly patterned, it was dated but in this setting; it worked. At the far end of the room there was a stage, and this was my favorite part of the whole place. A single spotlight lit up a performer, a young guy, couldn't be older than twenty, sang for the room, strumming on his acoustic guitar as he did. He was one of the regular performers; Minty's held nightly open mics, you'd often hear solo singers, local bands, and even the occasional poet up on stage. They weren't paid, but they were handsomely tipped by the people who enjoyed their performances; the place always had a feeling of community. And that was why I kept coming back.

“Hey gorgeous, it's been a while. And you've brought a friend.” The man at the bar said as we entered, it was Minty himself, the owner. He was smiling warmly at us through his impressive, bushy beard, and I grinned widely at him. He was a big guy, taller than even Rick, and built like a bulldog. Looked like he could beat the living daylights out of you, but in reality he wouldn't hurt a fly. He enjoyed bird watching and hand embroidery, for pete's sake.

“Minty! Yeah it's been a hectic few weeks.” I laughed, turning to Rick. “This is Rick. Rick, this is Minty.” I introduced the two men, and Minty reached his hand out towards Rick, leaning over the bar. Rick extended his hand, and it was shook firmly.

“Nice to meet you, Rick.” He beamed.

“Likewise.” Rick replied, eyeing up the guy suspiciously, yet still managing to smile.

“What can I get for you two?” he asked.

“I'll have my usual red, please. Rick?” 

“Wh-what kinda beer you got?” He asked, and Minty's face lit up. I knew where this was going…

“Actually, would you like to try the exclusive _Minty's_ beer? It's brewed by yours truly. It's _really_ good, trust me.” He asked, clasping his hands together hopefully.

“Uhh. Sure.” Rick nodded. Minty fist pumped the air, that beer was his pride and joy.

“Perfect. Go take a seat, I'll bring your drinks over to you.”

“Thanks Minty.” I said, then led Rick by the hand to a nice little spot in the corner of the room, fairly secluded from the rest of the people in the bar. We had a good view of the stage from where we sat, and it was almost impossible not to feel at ease with the [soothing chords](https://youtu.be/v80KTAmltC0) the young man on stage was playing, he filled the room with such a peaceful atmosphere, and he had always been my favorite performer at Minty's. 

It was barely a minute before our drinks were brought over, and the two of us took our first sips. By the look on Rick's face, Minty's beer wasn't too bad. We were quiet for a while. Much too quiet. I found myself staring intently at the man on stage, wracking my brain for something to say; _anything_ , but I was coming up blank. Panic bubbled up inside me, nerves that I didn't know I had came rushing to the surface, and I found myself scratching at non-existent itches, clearing my throat unnecessarily, doing anything to attempt to make the atmosphere feel less awkward. Suddenly, the music wasn't so effective at being calming.

I glanced at Rick, he was staring at the wall like it was the most interesting thing in the world, squinting and rubbing idly at his lower lip as he leaned an elbow on the table. I breathed a sigh of relief, perhaps I wasn't the only one feeling like this, perhaps Rick Sanchez, the smartest, most brilliant man in the universe, was also feeling the awkwardness. I laughed and shook my head, capturing his attention.

“I'm just going to say it. This is weird.” I said, smiling sheepishly at him. He blinked twice, looking at me gone-out.

“Huh?”

“This is awkward. I don't… really know what to say.” I admitted, and to my annoyance, my face heated up in embarrassment.

“Is it? I-I wasn't feeling awkward.” He shrugged, taking a glug of beer.

“Really?” I raised my brows, feeling like even more of an idiot. 

“No. S-so what? No one said anything for thirty seconds. We don't have to- what's the point in filling every second with mindless bullshit?” he mused, turning his gaze back to the wall behind me. “I was just looking- is-is that one of yours?” 

I followed his gaze to the wall, and realised he was actually staring at a painting. A watercolour painting of a forest scene, a doe and a buck amongst overgrown foliage. “Oh. Yeah, there's a few of mine dotted around.” I nodded. He smiled, capturing my eyes again.

“That's impressive.” He said, and I laughed.

“Not really, I just donated them.” I shrugged my shoulders. 

“So? I-it's on display. People come in here and- and they see your work. That's something.” he assured me, looking around the room, trying to identify my other pieces. 

“Yeah, I suppose that's true.” I nodded, a smile growing on my face. “I think what's most exciting is that you recognised my work. How'd you know it was mine?”

“Just looks like your work.” He shrugged. “I can't explain it. An-and I _like_ your pictures, maybe they just stand out to me.”

“Aww. That's sweet.” I grinned, leaning over the table a little. Rick cleared his throat, reaching for a menu and looking a little flustered. I chuckled quietly, before picking up a menu for myself. I don't know why I bothered, I got the same thing every time I came here. Minty's homemade ratatouille was to die for.

“So, something I always wondered about;” Rick started, eyes scanning over the menu. “you love animals, that much I know. But you don't have any pets. I'd have thought you of all people would have a pet.” He pointed out questionably, shooting a curious glance my way.

“Ah, good question. But it's simple really; I'm out of the house a lot. I'm either at work or out with my bird-watching group, or I'm with you or whatever.” I explained. “If I had a pet they'd never see me. It'd be pretty cruel.”

“Good point.”

“Plus, I just enjoy the freedom of not having to look after anyone. I can do what I want whenever I want. I still get to feed the birds and see the wildlife in my garden; but I'm not responsible for any of it.” I said, leaning my chin on my hand. “Maybe one day I'll get a doggie, though, when my life isn't so busy. I wouldn't mind that.” I added with a smile.

A waiter came over at that point to take our order. I had my usual, and Rick ordered a steak; medium rare.

“So you're a dog person, huh? I gotta admit, I'm more of a cat person.” He told me, and I chuckled.

“You know, that doesn't surprise me.”

“Dogs are needy. You gotta walk 'em and play with 'em all the time. With cats, you just- you let them out and they leave you alone all day.” He explained, and I nodded my head.

“That's true. But cats are unpredictable; you can be cuddling with a kitty and suddenly they'll decide they've had enough and just scratch you. Dogs give you a little more warning.” I countered, and he seemed to weigh up my words. 

“See that's why you don't cuddle them. They're independent, you just let them do their thing and they'll be cool with you.”

“What's the fun in having a pet if you never get to be affectionate? Dogs are easier to love, I think. And it's easier to gain their trust. Plus, they're more likely to do some real damage to a burglar if you ever get broken into.” I smirked, and Rick laughed.

“Alright, I'll give you that one.” he smiled, then pursed his lips in thought for a moment. “Hey, listen. I got a fun idea.”

“A fun idea, huh? Alright. Shoot.” I sat up straight in my seat and clasped my hands together in front of me, giving him my devoted attention.

“I think… the best way to truly get to know someone, isn't to just talk about the vanilla stuff. No. You gotta- you gotta pry into the shit they _don't_ want you to know. All their embarrassing, incriminating dirty secrets.” His grin turned dark, lurid. “That way, you learn about their true self. Not the version of them that they want you to see.”

“That's… disconcerting. But I'll bite.” I nodded slowly.

“So tell me, (y/n).” He drew my name out playfully. “What's the wildest, most shocking thing you've ever done?”

“Oh, gosh. That's hard.” I said, frowning and looking down at the table in thought. A few things sprung to mind, and were quickly dismissed, things a little too graphic for the dinner table. 

“What, too many options?” He snorted, swigging some beer and settling back into his seat, he might as well have got the popcorn out. I ignored his quip.

“I have one. It's pretty shocking, I think.” I nodded and cleared my throat. “When I was in college, I was a little strapped for cash, so…” I paused, chewing on the side of my cheek.

“Go on.” He said, raising his brow expectantly, curiously.

“I worked as a life model for a couple of months.” I told him, and his expression didn't change.

“A life model.” He repeated.

“Yes. You know, I posed for a room full of artists. Naked.” I explained.

“Yeah, I know what a life model is.” He smirked. “Alright. I guess that's pretty surprising, but it's not _shocking_. You took your clothes off in the name of art. I need something worse than that.”

“Worse than that? I don't know. I haven't done anything particularly bad.” I lied, and attempted to steer the conversation. “Life modelling was considered pretty bold in my social circle, I didn't tell anyone about it. And I… I found it pretty exhilarating. Empowering.”

“I don't believe you. I know you've been a bit of a late bloomer, but I think there's a little freak in there. And I think she's shown herself before.” He probed, narrowing his eyes.

“If you're so sure, why don't you tell me something you've done? Maybe then I'll feel more comfortable.” I challenged, and he shrugged casually.

“Fine. Does-doesn't bother me; now prepare yourself. 'Shocking’ doesn't cover what I'm about to tell you.”

“I'm prepared.” I nodded. He paused for quite a while, watching me intently.

“I've fucked a giraffe.” 

“Right, and under what circumstances?” I raised a brow and tilted my head.

“I'm sensing disbelief.” He said, and I nodded with a snort. “Well I'm being serious. My ex partner was a hivemind, an entity that takes over the bodies of multiple beings, like, entire races, entire planets.”

“Woah.” My eyes widened. “How am I meant to compete with that?”

“Don't- that-that's not the point. Just listen.” He rolled his eyes and continued his story. “Anyway, when there's so many people- so many bodies and you can have your pick, it's wild. Things get crazy. And I asked- they assimilated a giraffe. There's this giraffe there and it, it's got the consciousness of my ex in it and- hey, look. Don't judge me. I took a lot of drugs and I can't say I'm proud of it.” He said, frowning at me when he caught something in my expression. I composed myself and pressed my lips together.

“Well, I definitely don't feel so worried about my thing now.” I said, trying not to laugh. “And I'm not judging! I mean, technically it was your partner so…” I trailed off, trying to rationalize it but not quite managing to convince myself. I shook the mental images out of my head.

“I go hard, sweetie. I don't fuck around. Now come on, tell- tell me something good.”

“Alright. Going back to my college days.” I started, staring at the flickering candle in the middle of the table. “I mean, maybe you still won't think that this is all that bad, but to me it's like… it's the worst thing I've ever done. I was never planning on telling anyone this but here we go. I was desperate for money in my final year, so I did some stuff- I uh, I became a cam girl. Just- just for a few weeks.” I admitted, not looking up at him.

“Holy shit.” He said with a surprised chuckle. “Now that's better. You earn a good living?” He asked, and I peeked up at him. 

“Yes. They were… generous.”

“So, so how did it work, did they have to pay to watch you or..?” He asked, and I cringed at his questions. 

“No, they could watch me for free, but I didn't really _do_ anything until they tipped. See, they would send requests with a tip, and I'd do what they asked and… yeah. Sometimes I'd do things privately, but that cost extra.” I said, giggling despite my embarrassment. “Oh, and I never showed my face.”

“That's smart.”

“A lot of the time I would just sit in my underwear and chat with them. I think maybe they were just lonely and wanted someone to talk to. But uh, obviously there were a lot of men who wanted to see some action.” I shrugged. “Anyway, ask me something else.”

“No, no, no. This is too interesting. I wanna know what the weirdest request you got was. And uh, did you do it?” He leaned close, lowering his voice.

“You don't want to know. This isn't the place.” I chuckled nervously, taking a sip of wine.

“It's okay, no one can hear us. Come on, baby.” He purred convincingly.

“You're not gonna think it's sexy. I assure you.” I winced.

“You sure? I'm into a lot of shit.” He said, and I laughed at a private joke.

“Ninety nine percent sure.”

“Please. I'm too curious to let this go.”

“Fine.” I sighed. “There was this one guy… who wanted me to, um.” I groaned in discomfort, gnawing at my cheek again. “He wanted to watch me… use the bathroom.” I finally said, my face burning almost painfully hot.

“Well, different strokes for different folks, I guess. Obviously you didn't do it though, right? That'd be a little much for you.” He assumed, and I covered my face with both hands in shame. “Wait.”

“If someone offered you four hundred dollars to take a shit, you'd do it too.” I said quietly.

“Oh shit, it was that? Man, I thought… I thought he just wanted to see you take a piss.” he laughed loudly, and I groaned in embarrassment again, wanting the ground to open up below me. “Sweetie, sweetie, it's cool. You're totally right, I-I don't blame you. Jokes on him, right? Take the money and run.” 

“Oh God. Why did I tell you that?” I said, laughing through the discomfort. “That's literally my darkest secret.”

“Hey, you're speaking to the guy that fucked the giraffe, remember? And that isn't even the worst thing I've done. But don't worry, I'll spare you from the rest of it.” He grinned, reaching a hand across the table to pat my wrist. “And uh, for the record, I think I like you even more now. That must’a took balls. Both doing it, and telling me about it.”

“Yeah well, I was baked throughout eighty percent of my degree, so that helped.” I revealed. Rick laughed again, loud enough to turn heads. Our food arrived shortly after that. 

“Holy shit, look at the size of this steak.” He exclaimed.

“I know, I told you; I hope you're hungry. They don't scrimp here.” I told him, digging into my giant dish of ratatouille, with garlic bread on the side. You bet I was eating every morsel, garlic breath be damned.

“Well, it's a good thing I brought my appetite.” He said, taking a bite.

“Good?” I asked as he chewed. He nodded his head eagerly.

“I'm sold. Whoever's cooking knows their way around a cow.” He told me, and I chuckled.

“So what else would you like to know about me? And less of the embarrassing stuff, please, I don't think the blood vessels in my face can take any more blushing.” I pleaded, watching as he chewed and swallowed before speaking.

“Alright, I'll show mercy. Did you always want to be a teacher?” He asked.

“No. Not at all.” I laughed. “I guess it's something I fell into. After I graduated I ran classes locally, just beginner arts and crafts classes, painting one-oh-one and all that. The school actually approached me, offered me a trial when their old art teacher retired. I gave it a shot, and I didn't hate it. Which surprised me. I don't exactly… like kids.” I admitted with a shrug.

“Oh?” He seemed surprised, his brow jumping.

“Yeah. Young kids, anyway. They scare me, honestly. I never know how to deal with them, you know? As soon as they hit Morty's age I can handle it, when they're a little more independent. When they aren't constantly trying to kill themselves in stupid ways.” I told him, picking up a slice of garlic bread and taking a bite.

“I don't know about that. Morty seems to have a death wish, sometimes.” He snorted. “So uh, what about kids of your own? That on the bucket list?”

“God no.” I recoiled, quickly realising how irrationally disgusted I sounded. “Um, I mean… I've just never been interested in the whole motherhood thing. I feel like it's something that's just expected of me, rather than something I would actually enjoy. Don't tell my mother that, though. She'd start replacing my birth control with sugar pills.” I rolled my eyes.

“I gotta admit. That takes a weight off my shoulders.” He laughed sheepishly, and I smirked.

“Yeah. I know you've been there, done that. You don't have to worry about me getting broody on you five years down the line.”

“Five years, huh? You see us lasting that long?” He raised a brow in amusement and I flushed again, realising the implications of what I'd said.

“Well, I don't know, I uh, it would be nice?” I stammered. “But obviously it's early days. I mean we've known each other a week, technically. Anyway, I wasn't trying to be cute, then. Slip of the tongue.”

“Sure, I didn't think you were.” He said, still amused. His smile soon faded and it was replaced with deep consideration. “I kinda wanna, um, ask you something. I know this is like, a bad place to talk about this but I've always wondered… how did you meet him?” He asked me. I was surprised at his question, honestly confused as to why he even wanted to know. But I obliged.

“Oh, well, it was nothing special. He was at one of the PTA meetings; obviously didn't want to be there. Apparently Beth had talked him into going when she and Jerry couldn't make it. All he did was ask snarky questions the whole time; pretty irritating actually.” I shook my head at the memory. “He took a shine to me though, kept turning up in the middle of my classes to drag Morty out of school. Sometimes he'd chat to me for a while before he left. Believe it or not, I was the one to make the first move. I asked him out for a drink, and… yeah.” I told him, and something seemed to click in his mind.

“Y-you know what's fucked up? Back in my dimension, months ago, Beth wanted me to go to a PTA meeting.” He told me, and goosebumps rose on my arms. “I even said I'd go. I forgot about it though, got caught up working on some gadget.”

“Woah.” I breathed. 

“Yeah.” he nodded. “I could've been six months into a relationship with another you right now.”

“Following that logic, you also could've been dead right now.” I morbidly pointed out, and he flinched at my words, obviously that thought hadn't occurred to him.

“Shit, that's true.” 

“Maybe in a roundabout way… I saved your ass.” I smirked teasingly at him.

“Now that’s reaching a little, don't you think?” 

“Not at all.” I grinned.

The two of us finished our meals, and when the waiter asked us if we'd like desserts, we agreed that we were far too full. We did stay for a few more drinks, though. We split the bill, despite Rick's attempt to pay for it in full, and by the time we left it was getting close to midnight, and we were both pleasantly buzzed from the alcohol.

“I wish I didn't have work in the morning.” I whined once we had climbed into the car. I probably should've had a problem with Rick driving under the influence, but I wasn't stupid. He did it all the damn time, and when he was a lot more intoxicated at that, so I didn't bother to try and stop him. “I could really go for a few more drinks.”

“Let's do it. Fuck work, ring in sick.” He suggested, and I shook my head.

“Don't be a bad influence. I have bills to pay, you know.” I teased as he took off, driving towards my house.

“Fine, but one day I'm taking you out to get totally wrecked.” He told me.

“Why not?” I snickered. “That could be fun.”

“Could be? It will be. Jus-just make sure to give your liver a pep talk. It's gonna need it.” 

“I don't doubt it.” I said, leaning my head back against the seat and sighing happily. “Tonight was fun. We should do this again, yeah?”

“Well yeah, I thought that went without saying.”

“You feel like you know me a little better now?” I turned in my seat to face him, and he glanced at me through the corner of his eye.

“Yeah. I do. 'course I bet there's a lot more to you than taking dumps on camera for strangers, but tonight has been enlightening.”

“Okay, I'm gonna put a stop to this right now. You mention that again, I'll punch you, okay?” I glared at him.

“I'd like to see you try, sweetie.” He smirked. We soon arrived outside my house, and there was a beat of silence when the engine cut. He looked over at me and ran his hands over his thighs, waiting for me to speak. 

“Well, I'll say it again. Tonight was fun. Thank you.” I smiled. I leaned over to press a kiss to his cheek. I was about to pull back, but he grabbed my wrist, keeping me close. He joined our lips in a wanton kiss; urgent and full of desire. I didn't even try to resist the urge to wrap my arms around his neck and crush our bodies together, and he moaned behind my lips. The kiss was loud and wet and sloppy, but it made me dizzy in the nicest of ways. When we pulled back for air, he stared me in the eye with this incredibly intense look. Possessive, lustful, craving something. It was so intense that I felt the need to look away, unsure how to react. I glanced at the back seat of the vehicle, and a thought crossed my mind. It made me chuckle.

“What?” He questioned my amusement.

“You know, I lost my virginity back there.” I told him, and his eyes widened.

“Seriously? H-he took your virginity in the back of his damn car?” He asked in disbelief.

“In his defense, he didn't know I was one at the time.” I admitted, looking back at him. “I was scared if I said anything, it'd freak him out and he'd stop.” I admitted, and chewed on my bottom lip.

“He wouldn't have, trust me.” He breathed a quiet laugh, bringing a hand up to rest on my waist. I looked down at his chest for a while, thinking. 

“Do you… want to come in? And I'm not- this isn't an invitation for sex. Full disclosure. I'm just not ready to…” I trailed off, ashamed to admit my true feelings.

“Not ready to what?” he probed, stroking his thumb over my waist.

“To say goodnight.” I told him. He kissed me again, this one was more chaste, a little more gentle. When he pulled back, he answered my question with a simple nod of his head.


	13. Hesitant

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omg guys I'm so sorry it's been weeks since this was updated. I've been struggling with writers block and tbh I just wanted to chill a little over the holiday season. By the way I hope everyone's holiday was great and I'd like to wish everyone a wonderful 2018 :)

“Would you like a drink of something?” I asked, leading Rick into the kitchen. “I've got tea, coffee, vodka, whiskey…” I listed off, looking through my cupboards.

“Surely you know by now, i-if you're offering booze; I'm not gonna say no. I'll take a glass of whiskey.” He said, nosing through the cupboards, checking the place out. “So uh, y-you gonna tell me what else you did on camera? You know, b-besides the _really_ dirty stuff.” He suddenly said, and I spun around to give him a look.

“Are you seriously gonna keep bringing that up? Cause… cause I don't know how long I'll be able to hold out from hitting you.” I warned as I pulled out a glass for him. “Do you want ice?” I asked.

“Looks like I'm already getting it. Come on, babe. Loosen up; it's not a big deal. I uh, I'm curious. I wanna know more about your wild streak.” He approached me from behind, placing his hands on my hips.

“Would you like ice?” I repeated curtly. Rick leaned into my back, burying his nose in my hair and inhaling.

“No thanks, do-don’t wanna dilute it.” He told me, and I rolled my eyes, pouring a splash of whiskey into his glass. “Keep going.” He commented.

“Rick.” I said, an edge to my voice. “We aren't going crazy. I have to be up for work in about… Seven hours, remember?”

“Crazy? You don't know the meaning of the word.” He said, his voice dropping an octave. Then he chuckled. “Or do you?” He pressed a kiss to the shell of my ear and stroked his hands up and down the curve of my waist.

“Considering I distinctly said that this wasn't an invitation for sex, you're being very…” I said, trailing off as his long fingers brushed the underside of my breasts very subtly. It sent a shudder through me, and heat pooled down low. I lost my train of thought.

“Are you going to answer my question?” He asked, and I scanned my brain for what he was talking about. What had he asked me? “What'd you do for your li-little group of fans, huh? You put on a good show?” Oh, that was it.

“That's all in the past, Rick. And it's embarrassing, so.” I shrugged. He reached a hand over me, picking up his glass and downing it's contents in one go. The glass was placed back down in front of me, then I was being spun around to face him. He leaned over me, arms on the counter either side of me; boxing me in. The heat in me intensified.

“What's so embarrassing?” He asked, a curious little frown on his face. I stared up at him in disbelief, as if the reason wasn't obvious.

“I did stuff on camera for a bunch of strangers… it was not my finest hour.” I snorted, void of humor. 

“So? You're a fuckin’ adult. T-tell me baby, tell me what _stuff_ you did.” He purred, dipping his head below my jaw and gnawing on me, drooling all over my neck and humming quietly with happiness. I rolled my head back, giving him better access. Fuck. What right did he have to arouse me so easily? “Tell me how you earned that sweet sweet cash, babe.” 

“I'm sure you could work it out, genius.” I breathed, arching my back and pressing my chest into his, losing myself momentarily.

“I'm sure I could, b-but that wouldn't be as fun as you telling me, would it?” He chuckled, pulling back to look at me. “Or better yet, showing me.” He added, and my face practically combusted. I pried his arm from the counter and ducked under it, making my escape to the living room. “Is that a yes? Ar-are we going upstairs?” 

“Absolutely not.” I murmured, flicking the TV on and taking a seat on the sofa, bringing my knees up to my chest.

“Was it- did you use toys?” He asked, sitting on the arm of his sofa with his foot up on the seat, his knee brushing my shoulder. I only became more red in the face. I buried my head in my knees. “Ohh, you did. What was it; just uh, just a plain old dildo or did it- did it buzz?”

“Shut up, Rick.” I mumbled into my knees. I felt a hand on my back, rubbing comfortingly.

“Hey, c-come on. We've slept together; you don't need to be shy.”

“I'm not shy.” I argued.

“Prove it.” He challenged, and a spark of something lit up my insides. I lifted my head. 

“Fine. Come with me.” I switched off the TV and marched upstairs, not even checking to see if he was following. When I made it to my bedroom I swung my closet doors open, then paused. Okay, so that flash of confidence was ebbing rather fast. But I didn't stop, I pulled out the large canvas bag from the bottom, underneath a couple of old blankets that never got used, and dumped it onto my bed. Rick entered the room a few moments later, a fresh glass of whiskey in hand. It wasn't until now that I noticed; he was half hard.

“What's this?” He asked, smirking as he leaned against the doorway, taking a swig of his drink.

“It's my… my things that I…” I sighed heavily, feeling slightly dizzy from how much blood had rushed to my head. Rick approached me, putting his drink down on the bedside table. “Do you get a kick out of embarrassing me?” I asked. Something close to offense flashed over his features, then he had a hand on the small of my back, pulling me into him.

“I'm trying to get you to come out of y-your little shell. I know there's a fucking goddess in there dying to get out, and she's- urp- she's horny.” His voice was gravelly and my heart pounded in my chest. I didn't want to admit it, but I knew there was some truth to his words. “You're always so- so shy about this shit and I know it's not you being coy. You're… you're holding back and you're too fucking young to be this repressed.”

“Repressed? I'm not repressed, Rick. We- I've had sex plenty of times and I'm… I enjoy it.” I said, nodding firmly. He licked his lips and pulled me tighter against him, his semi pressed into my lower abdomen and I held back a gasp.

“I don't doubt it. But you've got some needs that aren't being fulfilled, I can tell. I've seen hints of you letting that side of you out but…” he told me. He exhaled in my face, and I resisted the urge to wince at the smell of alcohol. 

“Really? Go on. Tell me more about that.” I challenged, and he smirked. He slapped my ass, causing me to yelp and buck my hips forward, rolling into his cock. Rick's breath caught, breaking his facade for just a moment. “Just to reiterate, I am not planning on sleeping with you tonight.”

“Fine. I can- I can live with that. We're just two adults having a conversation right now.” He said, and I took a step back from him, out of his arms. “But uh, you liked that, didn't you?”

“Being smacked on the ass? I haven't received one of those since I was a child.” I shrugged.

“Didn't exactly answer me, did you?” He chuckled.

“I think if I answered you truthfully,” I started, taking a shaky breath. “then I wouldn't be able to stop this from spiralling out of my control.”

“In what way?” He asked.

“Well, put it this way. I'd be very tired at work tomorrow.” I laughed quietly, though I wasn't amused. “It's already late, I should be in bed.”

“Fuck.” He breathed, adjusting his hard on. “You did like it. That's it; y-you like a little bit of pain, huh? Just a little.” He said, spinning towards the bed and unzipping the bag. Instinct made me lurch forwards to stop him, but I held back, watching as his brow raised at the bag’s contents. “Holy fucking shit.”

“Yeah, alright, don't get it… out…” I said futilely as he pulled the most obvious item in the bag out. A large dildo. Very large. Rick's hand didn't even fit around the girth of the thing, and it was about as long as his arm. I crossed my arms over my chest and frowned at him. “I told you not to.”

“Baby, please, you- you gotta show me how you fucking take this thing.”

“I don't.” I simply said.

“What?” He sounded horrified, and I rolled my eyes.

“Someone sent it to me. Do you really see me using it? It would kill me.” 

“Someone sent this to you? You mean… They knew your address?” He raised a brow and I groaned, grabbing the toy from his hands and stuffing it back into the bag.

“I had a PO Box.” I explained.

“You had a fucking PO Box?” His voice raised slightly. “That's pretty uh, pretty fuckin’ legit for something you only did for _a few weeks_.” 

“Yeah well… okay I lied! It was longer than that. Are you happy now?” I flushed with a combination of anger and humiliation, feeling tears spring to my eyes.

“Woah, woah, (y/n). Calm down. What's the big deal? Why're you so fuckin’ ashamed of yourself?” He frowned, cupping my face and making me look at him. “Seriously this is nothing. Y-y-you don't even wanna know what I'd do for a hit of K-lax back in the Flesh Curtains days.” He snorted.

“I feel dirty.” I told him. That stopped him in his tracks and he looked at me like he wasn't grasping what I was saying.

“Th-that’s a bad thing? Don't you uh, don't you ever wanna feel dirty? You know? Get real fucking nasty?” He suggested, and I stared at him with wide eyes.

“I mean… it's different.” I squeeked. 

“Did you get off on it? Did you like it at the time?” He asked, and his words made me flinch.

“Well, yeah. I wouldn't have done it if I'd didn't like it at least a little bit.” I admitted.

“Then what's the problem?”

“When you put it like that.” I sighed, looking down at my feet. “You know, I really didn't ever use that thing. Scares the shit out of me.”

“I'm not surprised.” 

“I kept it though. It makes me feel better knowing it's there, in case of like, a break in.” I told him, glancing over at where the huge bulbous head poked out of the bag. Rick burst out laughing.

“S-so that's your alternative to a baseball bat b-by the bed?” 

“Exactly.” I nodded, my smile showed my amusement. I sighed again, this time in defeat, my energy to feel embarrassed all used up. I took a seat on the bed and reached into the bag. “I used this one the most.” I pulled out a realistic looking dildo, both in size and colour. 

“That's more like it.” he laughed darkly. 

“I'd suck on it for a little while… get it nice and wet.” I glanced up at him. “Then I'd fuck myself with it as soon as I'd raised a certain amount in tips. If I was feeling adventurous, I'd use this on my clit.” I said, showing him a little purple bullet vibrator. 

“Yeah? I'm uh, I'm having trouble visualizing this. Care to demonstrate?” He said, sliding a hand down his front to squeeze his bulge. I raised a brow.

“Rick, I don't want to lead you on. You asked me to tell you what I'd do on camera, knowing full well I wasn't intending on _doing_ anything tonight. I don't want you to be too disappointed when you're going home with blue balls.” I said, a serious edge to my voice.

“You sure about that?” He asked, his voice verging on being a groan.

“Absolutely. Are you sure you'd like me to keep going?” I said.

“Absolutely.” He echoed me, licking his lips and coming to take a seat beside me.

“Well, as long as you're clear; you know you're not getting any tonight.” I said, turning my head to look at him, he was so close. “I don't fuck on the first date.”

“But you'll show off your sex toy collection?” He laughed, and I couldn't help the smirk that crossed my face. I looked back at the bag, reaching in for another item.

“I'd use this when they were being particularly generous. They all knew I was a virgin, and they liked seeing me struggle to fit this in.” I explained, holding up a bigger dildo. Nowhere near as large as the first one he'd seen, but larger than I'd use for fun. It wasn't exactly the most forgiving object I'd had inside me. “I think that's why they liked me. I had multiple cash offers to take my virginity.”

“What was the highest bid?” He asked.

“A thousand.” I said. “Now, I'm not sure what value 'virginity’ has, but you couldn't pay me enough for it.” 

“And yet you gave it up to a Rick for free.” He shook his head, looking almost disappointed.

“That's right. He was the only guy who I thought had earned it.” I shrugged. 

“I wish it'd been me.” He suddenly said, and I whipped my head around to look at him. I wanted to question him about why it even mattered now, but decided against it.

“Well, you have your headset. You could always… go back.” I suggested, not really believing the words coming out of my own mouth. In reality, that would be fucking humiliating. “But I will warn you, I doubt it'll be as titillating as you may think.”

“Why's that?” 

“I shouted 'it's happening’ a bunch of times, then had a panic attack.” I outright admitted, knowing full well he'd probably watch it now that I'd planted the idea in his head. Might as well warn him. “Yeah, he wasn't under the impression that I was experienced for very long. Still, I insisted on carrying on once I'd recovered.” I laughed sheepishly.

“Wow.”

“Still wish it was you?” I snorted. “Don't answer that.”

“Do you still use these things?” He asked after a period of silence.

“Uhh, I use the vibrator sometimes. But that's about it. Since… since I started getting the real thing, it's lost its magic.” I laughed. 

“N-nothing- you can't beat the real thing, huh?” He grinned, ghosting a hand up my thigh. I caught it, entwining our fingers.

“Well, I told you what you wanted to know.” I commented, staring down at our hands. “Do you feel better? Is that your curiosity quenched?”

“Still could do with a visual.” He teased, and I knocked my shoulder into his.

“Sorry, Rick. I said I don't do anything on the first date.” I smiled up at him and he rolled his eyes at me.

“Yeah, like we're really doing- on first date status.” He scoffed.

“It's _our_ first date. Just because things have happened before doesn't mean-” I stopped and shook my head, I didn't need to explain myself to anyone. “I'm sticking to my guns, okay? I need to practice some self control. And so do you.” I said firmly. Though I knew deep inside that it wasn't the only reason. My gut twisted uncomfortably at the idea of giving in again, so soon.

“Fine. But I'm staying the night, at least. I'm not leaving your house with a fucking boner.” He narrowed his eyes playfully at me.

“Fine.” I said, standing up and gathering the things on my bed, putting them back in the closet. I gave him a cheeky smile as I walked past him into the ensuite bathroom. Once alone, I undressed, slipping on a silk (well, polyester) nighty. I washed my face and brushed my teeth; unsurprised when Rick joined me in the small room, in nothing but his underwear. He came up behind me.

“Can I, uh, borrow that?” He asked, looking at the toothbrush in my mouth in the mirror.

“Ew. No, I have a new one somewhere.” I said with a mouthful of toothpaste foam. I bent down to look in the cupboard under the sink, and my ass bumped against his groin.

“Mmm, _hello_.” He said lewdly, grabbing hold of my hips and gently grinding against me.

“Jesus, has that not gone yet?” I exclaimed, trying to get away from the firm rod sliding against my ass.

“S-sometimes it's persistent.” He said, humming pleasantly to himself. My hand closed around the spare toothbrush and I straightened up, pushing it into his chest.

“Well it will be, if you keep doing that.” I tutted after spitting into the sink.

“Come on, baby. Please. It's starting to hurt.” He told me with a whine, and while it pulled on my heartstrings for about a second, I had little trouble in glaring at him through the mirror.

“That's not gonna work.” I told him. He sighed in defeat, and took a step to the side to load up his brush with toothpaste. I peeked down at the tent in his loose boxers, at how it strained and bobbed with his jerky movements as he brushed his teeth. Rick caught me looking, of course, and made a show of pulling the front of his boxers down and letting his dick spring free. I flashed him a disapproving look.

“Relax, gotta piss.” He mumbled with the brush in his mouth, turning his back to me and standing in front of the toilet. I backed away from him, surprised at his willingness to _go_ so close to me. I rinsed my mouth out and made to leave the room. “You know how hard it is to piss with a boner?” he called after me.

“Oddly enough, no. Just don't miss, alright?” I sighed, closing the bathroom door to block out the sound of liquid hitting porcelain. I switched off the main light, turning on the lamp beside my bed, and crawled under the covers. Rick joined me soon after, coming up behind me and giving me a squeeze. He pressed a couple of kisses to my cheek, then made a needy little sound to prompt me to turn. I did, and he connected our lips. To my surprise, the kiss remained quite tame, and he broke it first.

“Night, baby.” He said, rolling onto his back.

“Goodnight.” I replied, slightly stunned. I smiled as I leaned over to set my alarm for the following morning, and I turned off the lamp. It was getting close to half one in the morning by now, so I was glad that Rick had taken no for an answer. I'd half expected him to try and convince me some more. I curled up on my comfy side, my back to him. 

I was just drifting off to sleep when I realised what was going on, though I wasn't surprised in the least. The quiet huffs of pleasure and the way the bed was rocking just slightly with his movements gave him away. There was a pause, I heard a spitting sound, then it all resumed, accompanied by a wet squishing sound. I listened for a while, hearing his breathing become more laboured, the odd groan that he couldn't quite hold back. _Fuck it_ , I thought, sleepily rolling over to face him, pretending to be asleep. I opened my eyes one by one, the curtains were slightly ajar and a stripe of moonlight lit him up. To my disappointment, I couldn't see anything. Rick's lower half was covered by the sheets, but I could see his arm bobbing up and down underneath them. He had his eyes closed, his bottom lip firmly trapped between his teeth as he so shamelessly jerked off next to me. My arousal mounted in an instant, and I found myself squeezing my thighs together, clenching my muscles quickly in an attempt to derive some kind of pleasure from the experience. 

The urge to reach out and touch him was intense, but I held back. Instead, I subtly reached down between my own legs, finding myself wetter than anticipated, and slipped a finger inside. I let out a small breath as I hooked the digit, rubbing against that ribbed patch of tissue that always made my stomach flex. My eyes closed for a few seconds before I remembered what I was missing, hearing Rick let out a quiet 'oh fuck’, his movements getting faster. I ground my palm against myself as I slid another finger inside, letting my eyes roll over every detail in Rick's expression, my ears tuning into every subtle sound he made. I found the situation extremely erotic, and I clenched around my fingers, nearing my completion shockingly fast. Something about watching Rick get himself off, unaware that I was watching him so attentively, really got me going.

I held back a groan as Rick bucked his hips into his hand, his breaths coming quick and loud, I knew he was close too. It was with a choked back groan that his body went rigid, his hand stilling around his cock, and I knew he was coming. I felt myself spinning towards my climax, and was tipped over the edge as Rick licked the cum from his own hand, apparently figuring it was his best option for cleaning up. I twitched on the bed, my mouth hanging open as the pleasure pulsed through me, I did my very best to keep quiet and was mostly successful, my laboured breath the only sound escaping me. My body went lax when the pleasure subsided, I let my eyes fall closed as my breath normalised. I felt the bed shift, then a hand was creeping up the side of my body.

“You enjoy the show? Y-you little perv.” His voice cut through the silence and I jolted, my heart rate skyrocketing. I kept my eyes shut, desperately hoping he'd be convinced. He simply laughed. “You think I didn't hear you fucking that sopping wet pussy of yours? I-I-I might be old but I'm not deaf.” He added, leaning in close. By then I'd committed to my act, and still didn't open my eyes. “Alright, fine, I'll save you the embarrassment, Sleeping Beauty. G’night.” He finally said, thoroughly amused. He rolled over, putting his back to me. It was a long fucking time before I managed to get any sleep.

-

My alarm clock woke me up, and I fumbled to turn it off quickly to minimise the disruption to the man sleeping next to me. I sat up and glanced down at him, remembering the previous night instantly; the wonderful night at Minty's, the way too personal conversations we'd had, and of course what had happened in this very bed. I felt a flush of embarrassment as I considered it all, knowing that even the sensible amount of alcohol I'd drank had done it's usual trick of loosening my lips and making me over-share. Not that Rick had minded, of course. He knew more about me now than anyone, even my original Rick. I realised that this Rick had a way of opening me up, prying out my darkest secrets and my most sordid desires. I put up a good fight, I'll give myself that, but couldn't help but notice just how different he was to my first love. Now that I knew everything, it was all becoming so obvious. A definitive line was being drawn between them, and I wondered if that was why I suddenly felt so hesitant to do anything too intimate with him.

I'd always had this nagging, underlying feeling of guilt ever since I'd found out. It had been easy to ignore initially, I was just about able to convince myself that nothing much had changed. This was a Rick, right? Practically the same person, right? But the more time I spent with him, the more I couldn't keep feeding myself that crap. And so the guilt was mounting. Every time his touch sent shivers through me, every time his devilish smirk made me swell with need, it churned up this unpleasant feeling in my stomach. A feeling that was only getting worse the more it sank in exactly just what I was doing. My boyfriend had died a week ago, and I was already in bed with another man.

Sighing, I pushed it all to the back of my mind and climbed out of bed, luckily Rick hadn't been stirred enough to wake up, and I went to go and get ready for work. I dressed in my usual garb; a calf length skirt and a light blouse, a cardigan to go over the top if I got chilly. People used to tell me that I dressed like a teacher, well, I suppose that had become a self fulfilling prophecy. I was out feeding the birds when Rick woke up. I'd been sitting on the bench behind my bird table, watching the birds come and go, pecking at the sunflower seeds and flying off with mealworms in their beaks. They were quite tame, but then again, they were used to me being out here, they'd seen me put their food out every morning for the last God knows how many months. I guess they had some level of trust for me. 

The birds scattered in a flurry of wing flaps, birdseed flying in all directions, and I looked up to see Rick stepping out of the patio doors in his underwear, his lab coat over the top. He winced as he watched the birds startle.

“Shit, I, uh… didn't mean to ruin your Snow White moment.” he said. I laughed quietly to myself, remembering how he'd called me Sleeping Beauty last night. What was it with him and princesses lately?

“It's okay. I was about to come in anyway.” I told him, getting up and heading back towards my house. I stopped in front of him, looking him up and down. I felt my face heat up at his appearance; messy bed hair, bare chest, fitted boxers hugging his junk and leaving very little to the imagination. I avoided his eyes as I placed a hand on his chest, urging him through the door. “Come on. My yard is overlooked by the neighbors.” 

“What, am-am I your dirty secret or something?” He snorted, yet stepped backwards into the house anyway.

“No. I'm just trying to protect your decency.” I glanced down at his underwear, feeling a sudden swell of arousal as I thought about reaching for him, feeling him harden under my palm. Rick gave a dirty laugh, tilting my chin up with a single finger so he could look at me.

“See something you like, babe?” he purred. My lips parted and I leaned towards him, hungry for his touch. “Woah… y-you look like you could eat me alive.”

“I'm sorry.” I caught myself, stepping backwards. “I'm- I don't know.” I looked down at my feet and frowned at myself.

“H-hey. What're you- don't do that.” he said, reaching a hand behind my back and dragging me to him. I yelped in surprise, bringing my hands up to brace against his chest. “Are we gonna talk about last night, huh?”

“What about it? It was a lovely night. Albeit a little… embarrassing for me at times.” I said, looking down at his chest.

“You were watching me, weren't you? You uh, you had a lot of fun on your own, there. Considering you don't do anything on the first date.” He grinned at me and I winced, wriggling out of his arms. He looked dejected, letting his arms drop limply to his sides.

“I need to get ready for work.” I told him, heading towards the kitchen. “You can have breakfast if you like, but I've only got cereal.” I got out two bowls, filling mine up with cereal before topping it up with milk, leaving everything out so Rick could help himself. He didn't. He just came into the room, frowning at me in confusion.

“Alright. Wh- uhh, what the fuck?” He announced, coming to lean over the breakfast table I'd seated myself at. “What's up with you?”

“Nothing, I just… I'm probably due a period.” I shrugged, hoping my excuse would fly. Of course, it didn't.

“Really? That's your- that old chestnut? Something's bothering you. What is it?” He asked, taking a seat opposite me. When I didn't answer, he continued. “Is-is it about last night? Look, if I was being pushy then… well I'm not sorry. That's kinda just, uh, what I'm like so if you can't handle it then-”

“It's not that.” I sighed. “You weren't too pushy. You were persistent, yes, but at least you took no for an answer when I wanted to go to bed. That's not it.” I told him, looking down at my cereal.

“Then what's your problem? O-one minute you're all up on my dick, wanting me to fuck your brains out, th-then now you're just… you don't want any of it. I don't get it, what's changed since the other night? You already knew everything, so it can't be that.” He asked, slapping his palms on the table and leaning forwards to try and grab my attention. I looked up at him and chewed on my lip.

“It's the guilt. Y-you know? I mentioned it yesterday morning?” I admitted, and he stared at me blankly for a moment.

“Seriously? Why? We talked it over. I thought you were okay.” He said, shaking his head in confusion. I rubbed a hand over my face and took a deep breath.

“Yeah, I know we did, and I was okay. But now things are different. You- I've been seeing a different side to you, Rick-”

“Oh, and you don't like it? You realising I'm not like y-your precious fucking original Rick?” A flash of anger caused his face to reddened slightly, and I glared at him, shaking my head.

“No, that's completely wrong, actually. If you'd let me finish; I _am_ realising you're not like my original Rick, but that's not a bad thing! It's just,” I paused, considering my next words as he watched on, his features softening. “it's completely differentiating you from him, and I feel like maybe… things are going too quickly.”

“Oh.” His voice was small, my words knocking the wind out of him. 

“The reality of this situation is; I've just lost the love of my life. It doesn't matter that you're an alternate version of the same guy, I can't pretend that what's happened… hasn't happened. You know? And my problem is, I don't feel a fucking thing other than guilt. No grief, no sadness, no nothing. I feel like I just want to pick up where we left off like nothing has changed, but that's not fair on anyone, is it? And that's why I feel guilty. I shouldn't want this. I should want to have some sort of fucking memorial for him, I should be balling my eyes out, sleeping with you should be the very last thing on my mind, but it's not.” I purged it all to him, not stopping till it was all out, and Rick just listened without a hint of judgement on his face.

“You, uh, I've noticed you're always talking about what you _should_ be doing. I just gotta ask, who the fuck says so? Y-y-you know? Just who exactly makes the rules on what you should be feeling, huh?” he asked me, and I recoiled, blinking dumbly at him.

“Well, nobody. But do you not see my point?” 

“Yeah, I see your point.” He nodded, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest. “I'm just not sure if you really want to take things slow, or if you're just doing all this because your moral compass is all outta whack, whispering bullshit in your ear to make you hold back. Just like you hold back with everything.” He said, looking me up and down. My mouth hung open, and for a while I didn't quite no how to respond.

“You're such a know it all, aren't you, Rick? You think you've got me sussed out. You've only known me a week.” I pointed out, mirroring his pose.

“Yeah, you're right. I have only known you a week, don't fuckin’ remind me. But I just know you, alright? I can see straight fucking through you. You don't let yourself have anything, you're always shamefully curling up in a ball and letting the world take a shit on you. You wanted me to erase your memory, like you don't care enough about yourself to know the truth. You never fucking speak up about what you want, and you're settling for a shitty job teaching annoying little kids how to draw stick men, e-even though you're good enough to do whatever the fuck you want.” He ranted on, narrowing his eyes at me. I just stared at him in disbelief. “Don't try to tell me I'm wrong, (y/n). For once in your life, just think about yourself and make your own goddamn choice. Listen to reason. A-answer me honestly now, (y/n), do you want to fuck me?” 

“Woah, now that's a little forward, don't you think?” I flushed deep red, and rose to my feet. I carried my untouched bowl of cereal over to the sink and dumped it inside to deal with later, my appetite completely gone.

“You're dodging. I-I-It's a simple enough question, sweetie.” He spun in his chair to face me, and I glanced down at my watch.

“I need to get going. I have classes all morning, and I can't turn up late. It sets a bad example.” I told him, picking up my cardigan and car keys from the counter.

“Yes or no, that's all I need, baby.” He continued, and I ignored him, picking up my work bag and heading towards the door. “If you do, what's stopping you? Huh? You're not hurting anyone, sorry to break it to you but there is no afterlife. When you're dead you're dead, so _he's_ not going to be watching over you, or whatever.”

“Rick.” I scolded him with my tone, frowning at him with one hand on the front door handle. “I need to leave, I'm not just running away from this.”

“I'm just saying, you- you gotta, uh, make hay while the sun is shining, or something. Why waste time not doing whatever the fuck you wanna do just cause some people are sensitive? Live your own fuckin’ life. Jesus.” He grumbled. I paused, looking at him in consideration for a moment.

“I'll see you later. You can stay here if you like, I don't mind. It's up to you.” I shrugged. “Maybe I'll see you after work?”

“Yeah, maybe.” He snorted, pulling his portal gun out from his coat and firing it at the floor, jumping through still dressed only in his coat and boxers.


	14. Desire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains references to spanking, praise kink, roughness, that kinda thing.

I took a bite out of my apple, enjoying the crunch of the fresh fruit as I looked through the last sketchbook in the pile on my desk. I often liked to paw through the students’ work over my lunch break, to see how they were getting on, to see how the ones who really engaged with the subject improved over the weeks. I jotted down a few comments on a sticky note for each student, sticking it inside the front cover. I preferred to do it that way; when I was at school my teacher used to write directly into my book, and it annoyed me intensely. I would never dream of permanently altering someone else's sketchbook, because even though it was school work, a sketchbook is almost always a personal thing.

I heard the door to the classroom opening, a very rare occurrence considering it was lunchtime. I could count the students who liked to work over lunch, or come and speak to me outside of class, on one hand. So it always excited me, it was the one rewarding thing about this job; tutoring the handful of kids who genuinely had a talent and passion for art. I liked to think I was contributing something important to the world of art, working with the artists of the future. But when I looked up at the door, my heart fluttered for a different reason; for the person entering the room was definitely not a child.

“Good afternoon, M-Miss (y/sn).” Rick strolled into the room wearing a cheeky grin. 

“Rick.” I exclaimed in surprise. “What're you doing here? You're not pulling Morty out of school, are you?” I asked, and Rick rolled his eyes.

“If I was here for him, I'd look for him sniffing around that chick Jessica's locker.” He informed me, coming to take a seat at one of the desks in front of me. The chairs were a little smaller than regular chairs, and he looked pretty ridiculous crammed into it. He just so happened to have seated himself at a desk with a piece of student work drying on it, a recreation of one of Picasso's paintings. Rick inspected it. “That's shit. S-see this is what I'm talking about, (y/n), this is what you're surrounded by. These kids don't even know what- what humans look like.”

“That is not shit.” I said, lowering my voice for the cuss word. “That particular student shows a lot of potential. The style of the painting isn't supposed to look realistic.” 

“Well, I wouldn't hang it on _my_ wall.” He scoffed, and I rolled my eyes at him.

“It's a good job it's not for sale then, isn't it?” I quipped, finishing off my apple and tossing the core into the trash can beside my desk. “So, if you aren't here for Morty… what're you here for?” 

“Saw there was an opening in the science department; physics teacher. Thought uhh, I thought I might give it a shot.” He told me, and my brows shot up in surprise.

“Wow, really? That's actually really great, Rick, I could put in a good word-” I didn't manage to finish before I realised he was looking at me like a was an idiot. “Oh. Sarcasm.” I sighed. 

“I'm here for you, dumbass. W-what else could possibly make me set foot in a _school_?” He said, and despite the insult, I smiled.

“Oh, alright then.” I said meekly.

“And I'm not happy with you.” He grumbled, crossing his arms across his chest. I frowned at him.

“Why? What have I done?”

“I was spying on you again, through the headset, you know… f-for science. And I saw something that I would've appreciated you telling me about, okay? Not fucking cool.” He shook his head at me, narrowing his eyes. A wave of nausea instantly made me regret the thick slice of chocolate cake I'd had with my lunch. I scanned by brain for what he could be talking about… had I done something bad in the past? Something that somehow affected him? Had he learned something about me that he didn't like?

Rick rose to his feet, approaching my desk and leaning over it, placing his hands either side of the pile of sketchbooks in front of me. I stared up at him with wide eyes, dreading whatever it was he was about to say. Suddenly, his expression softened, and he laughed. 

“Holy shit, would you relax? Jesus, I'm n- I'm not serious. You look like you're about to burst into tears.” He said, and my expression turned blank. “I just saw you guys sucking face in that store room over there, and I want in on that. I can't believe you never told me that was on the table, I-I-I would never have guessed.” He chuckled, jabbing a thumb in the direction of the supplies closet.

“I can't…” I started, flushing deep red and looking over at the door, half expecting the principle to walk through and fire me on the spot.

“You can't? Shit baby, please. I already rubbed out two loads just living vicariously through that fuckin’ headset.” He told me, and my heart pounded at his admission, arousal cropping up out of nowhere.

“Sorry Rick, I can't risk it.” I said, keeping my voice level and avoiding his eyes. Rick scoffed in annoyance.

“You've risked it plenty of times before.”

“That was different.” 

“Right, of course. Admit it, th-this is about you feeling guilty or whatever. We can make out, right?” He frowned at me, and I finally met his eyes.

“Yes, we can, but… in that store room, I- it's very-” I sighed, unable to find the best words for what I wanted to say. “It gets me so… I don't know if I'll be able to stop myself, with you.” I finally spat the words out, and Rick stared at me in confusion.

“Huh?” He questioned. “Stop yourself from what?”

“From fucking you.” I told him, throwing subtly to the wind and speaking a little louder than intended. Rick seemed to recoil at my words, though I read undeniable lust in his eyes. 

“Why am I any different?” He asked.

“Good question.” I laughed humorlessly. “I don't know Rick. When I'm with you I tend to do things that I wouldn't otherwise do. Especially when it comes to sex.” 

“Good. Come on, let's go.” He said dismissively, tilting his head towards the store room and holding his hand out to me. 

“No, not good. I have a severe lack of control, if we go in there I could very well lose my job.” I warned, but he grabbed my wrist and pulled me to my feet. I found myself walking around the edge of the desk despite myself.

“Let yourself go, baby. Just have some fun with me, come on.” He walked backwards, leading me towards the room with an excited little smile. “We're just one version of an infinite number of us, I can promise you that this- this is completely insignificant. You're making waaay too big a deal out of it.”

“Sure, in the grand scheme of things this is insignificant. But if I can't pay my bills, that's pretty significant for me.” I said, though I made no effort to stop him when he pulled me into the store room and closed the door behind us.

“You're forgetting the rules don't apply to me. We get caught; I erase some memories. No big deal, sweetie.” He shrugged, pushing me up against the door and pressing his hips into mine.

“Oh yeah.” I said dumbly, all of my reservations disappearing in that split second. “You're hard.” I gasped, glancing down. I couldn't see much; it was almost pitch black in that room. That's what I liked about it; and that's why it always drove me wild. The darkness was like a protective blanket, I couldn't see him, he couldn't see me, I felt anonymous. Like I could do anything with no repercussions. Of course, that was nonsense, but in the moment I believed it, and could really let loose.

“I was hard before I walked through the door.” He chuckled, rolling his hips. He pressed his lips against my neck, giving me a few loud kisses between his words. “Been thinking about you all morning; I can't stop.” He whispered.

“Yeah? Tell me what you think about.” I said, already losing my grip on sanity. I stroked my hands over his back, tilting my hips to meet his more firmly. 

“Kept picturing you touch- playing with yourself, like you did last night.” He told me, and I didn't bother denying it. “All secretive and quiet, thinking I didn't notice.” He followed up his words with a laugh. “God, I want to fuck you. To really fuck you, not out of deceit, or- or because you're emotionally confused or whatever. But because you want it as much as I do.”

“I do want it.” I admitted, and with a growl he grabbed one of my legs, hoisting it up and wrapping it around his waist, inadvertently hiking my skirt up. The door rattled in it's frame, and I gasped loudly when his erection rubbed firmly against my swelling clit. “We came in here to make out… you haven't kissed me once.” I pointed out breathlessly, and he immediately captured my lips with his own. The kiss knocked the breath out of me; it was very rough and filthy. There was excessive tongue and even some teeth, and it matched the way Rick was dry-fucking me, the cheap wooden door creaking in protest behind me. 

“Let me portal us back to yours, baby. Let- let me take you home so I can have you.” He begged me, pressing his forehead against mine. My answer sat at the tip of my tongue, it was an easy yes, I wanted him, I wanted him bad. But I had to pause, something he'd said playing on my mind. Rick was right, we'd only ever had sex when a) I was unaware of who he truly was, and b) I was confused and vulnerable, the day he'd told me who he was. 

“Not like this.” I told him. “Not just a quickie.” I breathed, cupping his face. His hips stilled for a moment and his eyes darted back and forth between my own. Finally, he nodded, seeming to understand my thoughts without me needing to voice them. Then he was kissing me again and resuming his desperate rutting against my body, huffing with effort and pleasure, and he seemed determined to come this way. His hands moved to my blouse, untucking it from my skirt so he could slide those hands underneath to fondle my breasts. I broke the kiss and tilted my head back, letting out sharp exhale that caught in my throat and turned into a moan. Rick chuckled at me, though it sounded more like a pleasured groan, and he ground against me faster. 

“Mmm, I want you. I-I wanna fuck that tight, wet pussy so fucking bad, baby. I wanna feel you come on my cock, moaning my name like I'm your fucking God. Ohh fuck, I need to see your perfect tits bouncing all up in my face as you ride me, take me for all I've got.” He growled, his voice low and rumbly, and my knees weakened. Never had I heard such dirty talk, my previous Rick didn't come close. My whole body seemed to vibrate, and I whimpered pathetically, feeling my underwear grow wetter and wetter. I wondered if I was leaving a mark on Rick's slacks. “I wanna see you get real dirty, princess. T-tell me exactly what you want.”

“Oh God, Rick.” I cried out, lacing my fingers through his hair. “I want…” I started, the train of thought disappearing when Rick suddenly pulled my blouse open and buried his face in my cleavage, grunting loudly with each rough thrust of his hips.

“What do you want?” He murmured into my chest.

“I want you to make me come in- in your garage. Sit me up on your desk and… And use your mouth on me.” I said, closing my eyes as Rick wrapped both arms around my waist, squeezing me tight as his thrusts lost rhythm. “With the door unlocked.” I added. “When people are home.” I kept going, getting lost in the little fantasy. “Stuff something in my mouth to keep me quiet.”

“Argh fuck, _yes_.” He groaned, hips bucking wildly as he reached his climax, shooting into his pants. He threw his head back as he did, leaning his full weight into me, I watched him in the dim light, heart racing. His body, which was rigid, gradually relaxed; his shoulders drooped and his knees bent slightly, his hips stilling. His expression loosened, jaw unclenching. He came back to himself, looking down at me and cupping my cheeks as he kissed me. “Let me- I wanna make you come.” He mumbled into my lips, sliding his hands down my body. I caught them and shook my head. 

“My next class will be starting soon.” I told him breathlessly. He stared at me for a moment, seeming to remember where we were. 

“Come over later. Let’s- let's do it.” He whispered.

“What? The thing in your garage?” I exclaimed. “No, that's... that was a heat of the moment thing.” I shook my head, feeling a rush of anxiety at the thought, now that my head was clearing. Though I couldn't deny, that particular fantasy cropped up a lot when I would partake in a little self-love.

Rick chuckled darkly. “I'm sure I could convince you.” I considered his words as I buttoned up my blouse and tucked it into my skirt.

“Yeah; I don't doubt it.” I snorted, twisting around and reaching for the door handle. Before I could open it, Rick had his arms around me, pulling me into his chest. 

“How wet are you right now?” He mumbled against the top of my head. I flinched at his words, swallowing hard. I didn't answer right away, so he took matters into his own hands; literally. He hiked my skirt up again, and slid his hand into my underwear, slipping his fingers between my folds. He hummed in satisfaction, coating his fingers in the copious amount of moisture that resided there. I leaned my head against his shoulder, mind going blank. “Were you close?” He asked, and I nodded my head. He stroked my clit, drawing my arousal back to me in a few delicious circles. “Think you could come before the class starts?” He asked, and I nodded again, more eagerly, despite the voice in the back of my head telling me to snap out of it. 

His pace quickened, and I released a shaky breath before trapping my bottom lip between my teeth. I fidgeted against him, my hips twitching every now and then, pushing into his hand. I whined, arching and squirming, feeling my legs wobble below me. I whispered his name, and he kissed my temple, calling me a good girl. It got me good, and in seconds my climax drew close. My heavy breaths filled the cramped room. I squeezed my thighs together, rubbing them together as I teetered on the edge. Then Rick stopped. A gust of air left me in a huff, and I slumped against him. 

“I'll see you after school, okay?” He said, then sucked his fingers clean. 

“Wh-” I murmured, turning to face him. “Wait, I haven't…” I trailed off, noticing his devilish smirk as a swirling green void opened up next to him, it's brightness dazzling me. I squeezed my eyes shut, and by the time I opened them again, he was gone. I flushed with anger, glancing down at myself and straightening out my clothes. I took a moment to compose myself before letting myself out of the storage room. My heart lurched as I noticed a student sat at one of the desks, but I quickly relaxed as I realised I could hear the music from the other side of the room, blaring from her headphones. I marched over to my desk to pull out my mobile, sending a text off to Rick.

“ _You ass._ ” I typed, before throwing the phone back into the drawer and slamming it shut. 

-

The rest of the afternoon dragged like hell. I was frustrated and on edge having been denied sweet release, so I had set the students a simple enough task of picking random objects from the room and sketching them. It wasn't on the lesson plan, but it would keep them quiet, and we were ahead of schedule on the year's syllabus anyway. It meant I didn't have to do an awful lot, I could sit at my desk and join in, sketching in an attempt to relax. I didn't do well with being denied orgasm when brought so close, and Rick had left me feeling tense and sensitive, my body never quite calming down. I stared at the clock all afternoon, and raced out of school when the day was over.

I had began heading out to the Smith household, but had a change of heart on the way. I wasn't just going to desperately turn up on Rick's doorstep, begging him to finish what he started. No siree. Instead, I headed home; Rick could come to me if he chose to. I undressed as soon as I walked through the door, pulling items of clothing off on my way to the bathroom, leaving them in a pile on the floor to pick up later. I ran myself a bath, adding a few drops of lavender essential oil, and set up my mp3 player and dock on top of the toilet lid. I played some _Chicago_ , and settled into the bath. I groaned audibly as the hot water helped release some of the tension in my muscles; I was already feeling a lot better. I closed my eyes and allowed myself to reflect on the day and the previous evening, to think about how Rick had this way of reading me. The man was a genius, that much was obvious, but I couldn't quite wrap my head around his accuracy when calling me out on things I hadn't even admitted to myself.

He was completely and utterly correct. I'd always had a knack of holding back, not quite letting go and allowing myself to enjoy things. I realised I needed justification for my actions, or I simply wouldn't allow them. My perception of how things should be, morality, and myself greatly dictated what I allowed myself to enjoy. Of course, it didn't mean I _never_ strayed from the path, my experience in college being possibly the wildest period of my life; I'd experimented with drugs, showed my body to total strangers, both in the name of art and sex. Well, I'd had justification for both of those things; _everyone at college does drugs, right? I heard weed helps with creativity anyway, so why not? I'm doing it for my artistic experimentation... I need extra money, and it's not really that bad, is it? I do this on my own anyway, why not set up a camera and earn some money for art supplies? That stuff can be expensive, I need all the help I can get. At least I'm not actually having sex with anyone._

I sunk down lower in the bath so that the water came past my ears and my face was the only part of me exposed to the air. I got lost in the muffled sound of the music travelling through the water.

_And anyway, just like Rick had said; I got some enjoyment out of it at the time. Nothing to be ashamed of._ I could convince myself if I heard his voice in my head, telling me to own my choices, for I was the one in control of them. But then there was the matter of wanting him. Wanting him, but feeling guilty about it. I already felt a hot, unpleasant flush emanating from my gut when I recalled my actions in the supplies closet; the very closet my previous Rick and I shared a lot of memories in. _I am not replacing him._ I told myself over and over. It was true, one hundred percent, I just needed to make myself believe it. _I'm allowed to move on. My circumstances are very different from others in my position; having lost a partner. This is an exception. No one would blame me…_ Right?

But oh, how I wanted him. I'd never felt desire like it, as sad as that made me to admit. Rick was like a glitch in the system, and if you considered the fact that he literally didn't belong in this dimension, that theory had some weight. But he had the power to make me momentarily forget myself. Those moments in the throes of pleasure, when his touch is almost all I can think about, he coaxes me out of… me. My previous Rick never did, my inhibitions were firmly in place with him; never did he manage to turn me into the needy, mindless girl that I was becoming. Never did I admit to him half the things that this Rick had managed to fish out from the deep recesses of my mind; my secrets, my embarrassing past, and my confusing yet undeniable enjoyment of praise. It was like he had some kind of aura around him, and whenever I was close to him, that aura encompassed me and encouraged the side of me that seemed to be fighting it's way out. The side of me that just wants him to consume me. Turn me into a sum of my shameful desires, an uninhibited version of me that exists, in a way, to please him.

Desire. I considered the word, and all the feelings that were attached to it. It left me with a dirty feeling, and I wondered what on earth had happened in my life that made me feel that 'desire’ was an inherently bad thing. What made me apologise for wanting things, and enjoying things, particularly when it came to sex? I gave up trying to answer that question, I wasn't a therapist. Instead, I tried to challenge it. I let the image of Rick come to mind, he stood there motionless in my minds-eye as I considered what I _wanted_ him to do. First, I kissed him. I pictured it from experience, trying my best to absorb myself in my imagination, make it feel real. I pictured his hands on me, squeezing my breasts before moving downwards. In the real world, it was my hands on my body, and I reached through the water, lifting my knees and letting them fall open against the sides of the bath. I touched myself gently, slowly, warming myself up just like my imaginary Rick was. I let out a soft sigh, relief setting in as my neglected body lit up quickly.

That's when my mind turned down its usual path. The one that I steered it away from almost every damn time, but tonight I was giving it free reign. Rick knotted his hand in my hair, pulling on it and sending tight pressure over my scalp, raising goosebumps over my body. His other hand went to my backside, squeezing and groping roughly, the sneer on his face telling me he was doing so for his pleasure, not mine. My own hand moved quicker under the water, rubbing my clit faster as my imagination drew me deeper. I imagined his voice. _Tell me what you want._ That was easy, I'd heard those words countless times. I whispered aloud, but in my head I told him firmly and with confidence. _Make me hurt. Make me your good girl._ My cheeks felt hot, my heart was hammering. He bent me over, pushing me face down on some imaginary bed sitting in the middle of nowhere, and he slowly pushed my skirt upwards, exposing my panties. He grabbed them, pulling the back of them together to make a sort of thong, and hiked it up, see-sawing my underwear between my folds. 

His hand came down on my backside swiftly, I tried to imagine the sting, but my free hand seemed to have a mind of its own and gave me the real deal. I slapped my inner thigh, the water on my skin making it that much sharper. I cursed under my breath, writhing in the water and rubbing my clit harder, using pressure that was bound to make me sore. Rick's name escaped my lips, and I heard my voice through the water that was muddling my hearing. I slapped my thigh again, imagining Rick pushing my legs open and settling between then. My imaginary scenario shifted, and I was laying on my back now. I could imagine it was him turning my legs pink as I spanked myself, changing up the spot so I wouldn't get too sore. I imagined him burying himself in me quick and easy, and I shoved two fingers inside myself. The water had taken away a lot of my natural lubricant, but I continued regardless of the friction. I moaned at the sweet, slight pain. My other hand came up to my breast, and I pictured Rick playing with my nipples, squeezing them harder than necessary. I moaned again, kicking my hips up in the bath, the water sloshing around me as I fucked myself. 

“Fuck me.” I whined aloud, my hips lifting again from the surface of the water as I worked myself harder, imagining Rick's groans, hearing him tell me what a good girl I was being for him. I squeezed my breast hard, feeling a dull ache in my chest and relishing in it, groaning loudly. I never usually allowed myself to make noise when I was touching myself, but I forced myself to let go, following every urge to express my pleasure aloud. I moaned Rick's name again, then my other hand was flying down to my clit, my orgasm drawing close. I didn't hold back, images of Rick in my mind flickering frequent and fast, different scenarios. I allowed myself to invision him fucking into me from behind, rough and quick, biting my shoulder and slapping my ass. Telling me to come, begging me to let go for him like a good girl. Singing my praise as he guided my head down on his cock, pushing it to the back of my throat. Shooting his load onto my face and telling me what a pretty picture I made. My orgasm shattered all of those images, turning my mind into a blank white sheet as the pleasure rippled through me, forcing my hips into the air. I choked on a groan, my hands were cramping up but I endured it, riding out my climax before my muscles went lax and I dropped down into the water again, splashing some over the side of the bath.

I lay there for a good while, eyes still closed, the water beginning to turn uncomfortably cool. Eventually, it became too uncomfortable and I sat up, opening my eyes to a much darker room than when I'd first got into the bath. I glanced around the empty room, waiting for something. I didn't know what, exactly, but I soon realised whatever it may be wasn't coming. The world didn't explode, Satan himself didn't arrive to drag me down to hell, my father didn't turn up and tell me what a disgrace I was. And surprisingly… shame didn't turn up either. I had just indulged in a fantasy, entertained my desires for a moment, and nothing had happened. I sighed pleasantly, straightening up and stretching, enjoying the way my muscles felt loose and lovely. Then I pulled the plug, feeling the water drain away around me. I knew I couldn't sit there forever, so I forced myself to my feet, noting the weakness in my legs that wasn't at all unpleasant. I wrapped myself in a towel, turned off the music, and headed out of the bathroom to my bedroom.

~

I watched as (y/n) walked out of the bathroom, turning the opposite way to me, not even noticing that I was sat there on the floor. I considered making myself known, but I knew for a fact how mortified she'd be to find out that I'd just heard her calling my name, moaning shamelessly. My cock was hard as a rock in my pants, but it hadn't quite felt right the three occasions I'd reached down to give myself a squeeze. In fact I'd felt like the ultimate creep. I allowed myself to listen though, frankly unable to help myself, dying to know exactly what was going through her head. I had been grateful that she'd left the bathroom door open, so there wasn't a single barrier between us. I'd made out her indulgent little whispers. _Make me hurt_ , she'd said. Then there was the slapping sounds, and I'd known right then and there that my hunch that she'd enjoy a little spanking was on point. I'd always known she would be a little freaky, and a smile curled my lips at the evidence.

I rose to my feet, tempted to follow her down the hall to her bedroom. I took a leaf out of her book, though, and held back. Instead, I opened up a portal and stepped through it to the pavement right outside her house. I strode up to the front door and knocked, quickly tucking my hard on underneath my waist band in a bid to hide it.


	15. A Little Pain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry if the formatting is a little different from here on out, I've had to change the way I upload my text since AO3 doesn't seem to like how used to do it anymore? Anyway, prepare for some spanking, daddy kink... And a twist.

I was waiting a good couple of minutes before the door finally opened. I raked my eyes up her body, noting the way she'd hastily dressed in a pair of form-fitting leggings and a rather tattered looking  _ Pink Floyd  _ t-shirt. Her hair was wet from her bath, and framed her face in uncombed kinks, and when she realised who I was, she shamefully ran her fingers through her hair to tame it. He cheeks immediately turned red, and I tried hard to contain my smirk because I knew exactly what she'd just done, and why she was blushing. 

 

“You knocked on the door.” She pointed out, seeming surprised. I stepped forward, letting myself in as she was forced to shift out of the way.

 

“Yeah well, af-after that text you sent me earlier, I figured you were pretty pissed.” I told her, turning on my heel to look at her once I was inside. She shut the door behind her, then leaned up against it. The throbbing in my crotch almost urged me forward to pin her against the door, just like I had at the school. But I resisted. “Didn't like being left hanging, huh?” I smirked.

 

“Not particularly.” She told me curtly, raising her chin and doing her best impression of an intimidating woman. It was bad. “I had a room full of fourteen year olds to manage after that… it wasn't the most comfortable class I've ever led.” She said, and I chuckled. 

 

“But you handled it.” I said, and she narrowed her eyes suspiciously. 

 

“What. Was that some sort of test? To see if I'd flee from my job, run to your house and beg you to ravish me?” She raised a brow, her suspicious expression turning to disbelief.

 

“Not exactly, but close enough.” I shrugged. “Wanted to see if it'd make you want it enough to be honest with me, and yourself for that matter.”

 

“Oh, I see. Because I'm repressed.” She nodded in mock understanding, but there was a glimmer of amusement in her eye. “You think I've got some wild fetish that I'm hiding from you.” That glimmer broke out as a grin on her face.

 

“Y-you hit the nail on the head, sweetheart. That's exactly what I think. I-in fact, I'd put money on it.” I said, crossing my arms over my chest and straightening up, looking down at her as she approached me, coming to stand a mere foot away. “So what is it? You want me to strap you up on one of those swings? O-or put a collar 'round your neck and take you on a walk through the park? You uh, you want me to piss on you?” I suggested, purposefully being extreme in my ‘guesses’ in hopes it'd give her the confidence to admit to her comparatively vanilla desires. To my surprise, her expression remained relatively neutral at my words.

 

“No thank you.” She finally said, and I was almost flawed at her calm reaction. I was at least expecting her to tell me I was disgusting, or something. 

 

“Ah, that's right. We already know what it is, don't we?” I lowered my voice and closed the gap between us, pressing her against me with a hand on her backside. I fondled the round, cushy cheek, and analysed her expression. She seemed flustered all of a sudden, like she'd been caught doing something naughty. “I tested the waters a little last night, remember?” I reminded her, and she glanced down between our bodies. My hips jutted forwards, my groin pressing into her pelvis.

 

“You're hard.” She pointed out for the second time that day. “How the fuck can you be hard? You've been here for like, two seconds.”

 

“Baby, I was hard before I walked through the door.” I said breathily through a chuckle, echoing my words from earlier. She seemed amused by this. Must've thought I was joking. “I bet you're feeling a little, uh… little frustrated.” I said, challenging her with a look.

 

“Why?” She asked innocently. I licked my lips and leaned closer to her.

 

“I didn't let you come earlier.” I reminded her, and her eyes widened a little.

 

“ _ Oh. _ Oh yeah… I guess, I mean- not really.” She stammered.

 

“Unless you already took care of yourself.” I suggested, giving her a pointed look. She stared at me with wide eyes. “I wouldn't blame you, baby. Though, I-I would've preferred it I'd you'd let me help you. Thought you were gonna come and get fu- get your pussy eaten in my garage.” 

 

“I took care of myself.” She said quietly, looking away from me almost ashamedly. I rolled my eyes and grabbed her chin.

 

“I thought we were getting somewhere.” I whispered. “I know what you  _ want.  _ You just need to say the words.” I told her, and I was surprised to hear a quiet, high pitched moan escape her. I took her by the wrist and guided her into the living room, we stopped in front of an armchair, and I placed my hands on her shoulders as I stood behind her.

 

“What… I uh, don't understand what you want me to do.” She said quietly, looking down at the chair.

 

“This isn't about what I want. It's up to you. You uh, you wanna bend over for me? Or maybe get on all fours on the chair? Or I could sit down, put you over my lap?” I said, speaking directly into her ear. 

 

“What for?” She asked, an edge to her voice telling me she knew the answer, and was only looking for confirmation. She wasn't stupid.

 

“Well, you want to be spanked, right?” I said bluntly, growing tired of riddles. And just like that, she flourished. With a soft sigh, almost relieved, she allowed herself to curl forwards over the arm of the chair, presenting that lovely rear-end to me. I smiled to myself, stepping forwards and reaching for her, my fingers neared the waistband of her leggings, but I stopped myself. “Pants on or off?” I asked.

 

“Oh… I don't know, I figured off, but-” she stopped to consider, obviously having never given it much thought. “Off.” She settled on.

 

“You sure? I mean, it might hurt a little. 'specially if you're not  _ used  _ to it.” I warned. 

 

“Isn't that kind of the idea?” She squeaked. “A little pain is… it's what I want.” Her voice was incredibly small, but I felt a burst of pride for her.

 

“Mmm, that's good. You're getting it now. It's about what  _ you want. _ ” I purred, slowly guiding her leggings down, noticing that she didn't have anything on underneath. My cock gave an uncomfortable throb at this, and I adjusted its position in my pants in a bid to make it more comfortable. I was honestly surprised it was still going, with no direct stimulation. I started by gliding my hands over her ass, using the pads of my fingers and observation of her reactions to gauge her sensitive spots. She flinched a little when I passed that little crease where her ass joined her thigh. I gave an experimental pat to the area, just with the tips of my fingers. She hummed quietly. “Yes? No?” I prompted. 

 

“Yes?” She said, but it sounded like a guess. I realised she didn't understand what I was asking her.

 

“There's a wrong way of spanking someone, believe it or not. I sure as shit don't wanna be the guy who fucks up and makes you think you don't like it. I'm asking, is  _ here  _ a good spot? Or is it gonna be too painful?” I clarified.

 

“Wow this is more complicated than I thought it was going to be.” She said, fidgeting on the chair, seeming dissatisfied. “Maybe we shouldn't-”

 

“Complicated? This is just communication. But uh, I guess that's an issue for you, isn't it?” I didn't mean to sound condescending, in fact I'd meant to sound understanding. I obviously hadn't pulled off the right tone, because she made this offended little sound and turned her head to look at me.

 

“I think I can communicate pretty well about most things.” She said defensively.

 

“Yeah, okay, th-tha-that wasn't a burn, by the way. I'm just saying, you want me to give your ass a good tanning, you gotta tell me how you want it done.” I said, then began lightly tapping the rounds of her cheeks to a musical beat, playing them like bongos. “Otherwise I just gotta, you know, I gotta guess. Make it up. This good? This, uh, this doing it for you baby?”

 

She watched me over her shoulder, face betraying her amusement, though she hid it well. 

 

“Okay. Just… where you were before; maybe a little higher.” She told me, and I stopped my drumming and grinned at her. 

 

“Here? Right. How hard?” 

 

“Smack me like I just tried to touch something I shouldn't, and we'll go from there.” She said, turning away and burying her face in the cushions. I stroked over that spot, lightly grazing my fingertips over her flesh as I watched goosebumps raise. She tensed up, and I paused my hand.

 

“Relax.” I whispered, and she did as she was told, her muscles gently unclenched one by one as she took a few breaths, breaths that were shaky. Her thighs were the only part of her still tensed, and she was squeezing them together. I pulled my hand away from her ass, chuckled when she flinched in anticipation, and slipped it between her legs. She jolted at the unexpected contact, but I just had to run my fingers between her soft, hot, pussy lips. She was drenched.

 

“Please… can you just do it already?” She whispered, her voice was all whiny and desperate, and it only confirmed what her pussy said about how aroused she was. And I hadn't even started. My cock was aching like crazy at this point, it felt tight, hot, like it was about to burst, and I was pretty sure I'd developed a wet spot. A glance down confirmed this. I brought my fingers up to my mouth and sucked away her wetness. I let the flavour sit on my tongue, heady and absolutely addictive. It took everything in me not to fall to my knees and bury my face in that sweet, gorgeous-

 

I realised I had groaned audibly, and made a conscious effort to compose myself. 

 

“Okay, baby.” I said, bringing my hand back to her ass, brushing my palm over the soft curve before I quit teasing her. I pulled my hand back, leaving her waiting for barely a second before I swiftly brought it back down, not very hard, but enough to fill the room with that lovely snapping sound. She let out a sound that I could only describe as a squeak, lifting her body away from the chair and leaning on her elbows. 

 

“A little harder.” She told me very quietly, and I smiled; feeling way too pleased with her progress. I shouldn't care so much. I gave her what she wanted, listening to her gasp when I smacked her again. “Little harder.” She repeated, her voice growing more confident. I smacked her again, moving onto the opposite cheek. With the force I was using, her ass wobbled nicely, I licked my lips as I watched. “Mm, that's a good… that's good. Keep doing it.” She breathed, her head hanging down between her shoulders, her back forming into this lovely elegant curve that reminded me how young she was. Without thinking I reached for her shirt, pushing it upwards to reveal her skin, running my hand along her spine as I did. She didn't try to stop me, she lifted up for a second and helped me to remove her shirt completely, leaving her naked in front of me. 

 

“Oh God.” I sighed, looking down at her, the reality of what was going on hitting me square in the cock. I shuddered, no longer able to resist the need to undo my pants, letting them fall around my ankles. I groaned as most of the pressure on my aching cock eased, but I needed something else. I needed release. “Fuck, you're so- so fucking gorgeous.” I told her, squeezing her asscheeks once before spanking her again. She squeaked for a second time, obviously I'd caught her by surprise. 

 

“Mmm, more.” She whispered. I delivered, bringing my hand down on her rear almost randomly, changing sides, leaving pauses here and there, sometimes delivering a few in quick succession. All the while, the woman beneath me was panting and whimpering, the odd lustful groan thrown in. I realised quickly that she'd shifted forwards on the arm of the chair, pressing against it and grinding. I stopped spanking when her ass began to turn red, and parted her asscheeks wide so I could see her pussy, it fucking glistened in the light. 

 

“I gotta fuck you.” I mumbled, not even intending to speak. My head was in a fog, I struggled to recall a time I'd been so desperate for stimulation.

 

“Please, daddy.” She said, and for a second I thought I might shoot my load untouched. 

 

“Yeah?” I said, but it was basically a groan. “You want daddy to fuck you?” 

 

“Yes.” She sighed, parting her legs for me. I couldn't get my underwear off fast enough. 

 

“You've been a real good girl, haven't you?” I said, fisting my cock and stepping forwards, lining myself up with her entrance. “Te-telling daddy what you want. That-that's exactly what I've been waiting for. I'm proud of you, baby. You've done so well.” I told her, trying to enter her and struggling with even that due to my waning composure. She was so wet that my first attempt had my cock sliding right past her opening, the head hitting her clit and making her whine. After another attempt where my cock slid the other way and almost impaled her ass, I was finally sinking into her, so hot, tight and perfect I had to close my eyes and picture Jerry to stop myself from losing it.

 

“Oh God you feel so good!” She said, her sentence coming out as one long word. I bit down hard on my bottom lip, she wasn't helping my control. It took me a minute, but eventually I felt it was safe to move, and when I did… fuck. Her cushiony walls gripped me as she clenched, gasping softly as I pulled back and thrust back in. She pushed up off of her chest, holding herself up on the other arm of the chair, and she started rocking back against me. I grunted at her eagerness, holding onto her hips and guiding her. 

 

“Fuck, fuck, fuck…” I sighed, repeating the word in time with each blissful thrust, every time her gorgeous pussy swallowed up my cock, every time my cock emerged shining with her wetness.

 

“Do it harder. Be-” her breath caught when I widened my stance and picked up the pace. “Be rough with me.” She finished. I growled like a fucking animal and wrapped my arm around her waist, pulling her upright, her back to my chest. “Oh yesss.” She hissed, arching her neck and resting her head against my shoulder, then she lifted her leg and kneeled on the arm of the chair, opening herself up to me and raising up a little to allow me in deeper. I fucked into her with all I had, looking down and watching her tits jiggle with the force. Oh God, those tits. I had to close my eyes again.

 

I reached a hand down between her legs, my fingers finding her engorged clit with ease, and I stroked it from side to side in a bid to hasten her climax… Because boy did I need her to match my level, I was close. She groaned loudly, arching and pressing her ass into my hips, giving me an even better view of those tits when I finally opened my eyes.

 

“Are you close?” I asked, sounding out of breath. 

 

“Yes, daddy!” She mewled, and with absolutely no warning, I came. 

 

“Fuck!” I grunted, pressing my hips hard against her, burying myself as deep as I could as I pumped her full of my come. My free hand slid up to cup her breast, squeezing hard as the intense pulses of pleasure flowed through me. It was a little while before I regained control over my body, and I pulled out of her as I turned my head to press kisses against her neck. I gave her a fresh hickey, hearing her hum with pleasure as I did. “You didn't finish, did you?” I mumbled into her neck.

 

“It's okay.” She whispered, but I wasn't having that. I spun her around, noticing the rosiness in her cheeks before I went in for a kiss. I slid a hand between our bodies, reaching between her legs to find her thighs slippery from where my come had dripped out of her. I broke the kiss and pushed her back to lean against the sofa, then I kneeled before her. I looked at the mess I'd made between her legs, a low groan rumbling in my chest. My need to satisfy her far outweighed the slight grossness of what I was about to do, so I dove forward. She gasped, her hand flinging out to my head to stop me before I buried my tongue in those jizz-soaked folds.

 

“What?” I asked, looking up at her. She looked mortified.

 

“That's- I'm not going to make you do that!” She exclaimed.

 

“Make me? Try and fucking stop me.” I snorted. I fought against her hand, pressing my mouth to her pussy and tonguing away my own ejaculate. It wasn't the best tasting thing in the world, but I kept going, cleaning it up so I could get to the good stuff. I looked up at her face- well, her hands- as she covered up her expression. Her breathing was picking up, and I moved closer to her on my knees, bringing my hands up to her inner thighs to part them wider. I began to taste her much more appealing flavour, groaning happily as I greedily lapped it up. I moved my attention to her clit, rolling the hard little nub underneath my tongue, watching her fall apart above me. She seemed to let go, pulling her hands from her face and moving them down to my head; stroking her fingers through my hair.

 

I pushed two fingers inside her, hooking them to seek out her g-spot; her broken wail and shaking legs told me I'd found it. I kept working that spot, pressing my tongue harder to her and closing my lips around her pussy, keeping a repetitive rhythm that I knew from experience would get her off. Her moans became louder and closer together, and I watched carefully as she rolled her head back. She started rocking forwards, and I upped the ante.

 

“Oh God, Rick!” She called out, looking back down at me before squeezing her eyes shut. Then I felt her spasming around my fingers, drenching my hand and chin as she climaxed. I moaned in satisfaction, there was nothing better than feeling those tight pulses as she rode out her orgasm, shouting my name over and over. I brought her down slowly, easing my fingers out one by one, planting a final kiss on her clit before I straightened up, sliding my hands over the tops of her thighs and dotting more kisses over her stomach and ribs. She cupped my face, pushing me back so she could curl over and kiss me. Her tongue seeked out mine, and I shared her taste with her, hoping she could enjoy it as much as I did. She broke the kiss and chuckled, keeping her face close to mine. “I guess this makes everything I said yesterday redundant.” She said.

 

“Huh?” I grunted, not really in the mindset to remember anything from further back than ten minutes ago.

 

“All the shit I said about not doing anything on the first date and practicing self control.” She reminded me, and I snorted.

 

“I guess. Who wants- who needs self control anyway? Life's too short.” I shrugged, then braced my hands on the chair, either side of her hips, and pushed myself to my feet, feeling about eighty joints pop as I did. She looked me up and down, eyes lingering on my shirt and lab coat.

 

“You still have those on?” She questioned, and I glanced down at myself dumbly. She reached for me, holding onto the lapels of my coat. “Can I try this on?” She asked. I smirked and shrugged out of it, letting her take it from me. She stood up and slipped it on over her naked body. The sleeves were long on her, but she looked good. She gave me a cheeky grin, then reached for my shirt, pushing it up and over my head.

 

“Y-you know, clothes usually come off  _ before  _ sex.” I teased, and she laughed.

 

“Yes, well, this time they didn't. And honestly, I feel a little let down.” She pouted, stroking her hands over my bare chest. “So I'm making up for it now. I'm getting my fill.”

 

“You're getting your fill.” I repeated with a chuckle, and she nodded her head. “Y-you like this old man body?” I asked, raising a brow.

 

“Absolutely.” She grinned, sitting down on the arm of the chair and pulling me towards her, wrapping her legs around my waist as she did. I straightened the collar of my lab coat on her, running my fingers down the front of it to neaten it up, I felt her nipples through the thin fabric and smirked.

 

“This looks good on you. M-maybe we need to get you one of your own, have you prance around like this more often.” I commented. 

 

“Yeah?” She grinned, sitting up straight and posing a little. I nodded and kissed her again, the urge impossible to resist. When we broke away, she took a deep, pleasant breath and took my hands in hers. “Would you like to stay for dinner?” She asked, and I agreed. She rose to her feet, buttoned the lab coat up and slipped past me, smiling at me over her shoulder on her way to the kitchen.

 

~

 

My body felt loose and light as I padded into the kitchen, my bare feet pattering against the cool tiles. I opened the fridge and scanned its contents. I had been planning on banging a frozen dinner in the microwave, but now that I had a guest, I needed a plan B. 

 

“What do you fancy? I can do pasta or something, make a Bolognese. Or I can do a curry?” I called out, my head in the fridge. Rick called something back, but I failed to make it out. “What was that?” I asked, straining to hear him.

 

I jumped violently when I heard a portal opening up right behind me. Wow. Lazy, much? With a hammering heart I spun around to face him. He stepped out of the portal and a wave of relief washed over his face, and he lunged towards me to bundle me into his arms.

 

“Ohh, baby, thank fucking  _ God  _ you're alright.” He breathed, his hug was bone crushing, not to mention completely random and confusing.

 

“Of course I am. I can manage not chopping my own head off while cooking dinner.” I snorted, gingerly wrapping my arms around him. It was only then that I noticed that he was fully dressed, lab coat and all. “What the hell, do you always carry an extra lab coat or something?”

 

“Huh?” He grunted, pulling back to look at me. He did a sweep of my body, taking in my almost-naked state, eyes lingering on the low, v-shaped expanse of exposed flesh between my breasts, not covered up by the coat. There was a flash of realisation on his face, then he looked angry. “That son of a  _ bitch. _ ” He growled, and to my confusion he released me and spun around, marching out of the kitchen and looking around my home like he was hunting for prey. I followed with a deep frown etched across my face, feeling completely and utterly brainless. What the hell was going on?

 

He made his way into the living room, and I wasn't far behind. My whole world seemed to implode, and for a second I worried I was having some sort of serious, brain-related medical issue, when my eyes found another Rick; the naked one I'd just had sex with, standing just meters away from the fully dressed one who’d just hugged me. Chaos erupted and before I knew what was happening, the two men were on the floor together, and the dressed Rick had his hands wrapped around the other’s throat, and it did not look like he had any intentions of letting go until he wasn't breathing.

 

Instinct took over and I lurched forward, I grabbed at him, trying to pry him away. I wasn't strong enough to achieve anything, but I did distract him, and that gave the other Rick an opportunity to gain the upper hand. He swung, clocking the man above him in the jaw and managing to roll him off of him. He kept swinging, turning both his knuckles and the other Rick's face bloody in a number of blows. It hit me then. It should've been obvious. The dressed Rick; he was  _ my _ Rick. The original one. The one who was meant to be dead. I screamed, horrified at what was happening in front of me. My body carried me forwards again and I was grabbing at bare skin, trying to get some purchase and failing miserably.

 

“Stop!” I shouted, “Stop it! Get off!” Shaking Rick by his bare shoulders, I only managed to make him pause for a moment, and he used that moment to shove me away. I stared at him with wide eyes as I stumbled backwards, hitting the wall. A few more punches and the other Rick was unresponsive, laying limply on the floor. I covered my mouth in horror, unable to peel my eyes off his bloody, swollen face. 

 

My view was obstructed by naked flesh, and a hand cupped my face. I was forced to look at the man in front of me, his expression was grim. I flinched as his other hand slipped inside the lab coat I was wearing, routing around in the inner pockets. He found whatever he was looking for, a spray bottle of some sort.

 

“I-i-it’s okay baby. It's all- everything's okay. Understand?” He said, his voice a forced kind of soft. “You're safe.”

 

“Is… is he…” I mumbled, and Rick shook his head, answering a question I hadn't yet asked. I wasn't even aware of what question that would be.

 

“He's not important.”

 

“He's my Rick.” I said, looking over his shoulder, trying to get a good look at the man I'd once loved.

 

“No, he's- that's impossible.” Rick shook his head, making me look back at him. I'm not sure he believed himself, and I certainly didn't. He shook the spray bottle from side to side, the blue liquid inside began to glow subtly.

 

“What's that?” I asked.

 

“Don't worry about it.” He said, then sprayed the stuff directly in my face. I recoiled, instantly feeling weak and dizzy. My legs didn't feel strong enough to hold me, and Rick seemed to notice this because he wrapped his arms around me. I had no choice but to lean my weight into him, feeling less and less alert as seconds ticked by.

 

“What're you…” I slurred, but couldn't make my lips form the words. I was soon out like a light. 


	16. Done

I paused for barely a second to gather myself. To wrap my head around what had just happened; this dimension's original Rick had just appeared out of fucking nowhere despite  _ being dead. _ My throat ached and every swallow felt bruised from where he'd strangled me, proof for if I had any doubt about this being real. I shifted my grip on (y/n) as she lost consciousness in my arms, lifting her legs up and juggling her dead weight until I was sure she wasn't about to slide out of my grip. It hadn't felt great knocking her out, but her panicking and questioning was the last thing I needed; better for everyone if she slept soundly, forgetting anything had even happened. Her head lolled around as I carried her over to the sofa, and I carefully lowered her down. I took a second to ensure her breathing was okay, then slid my hand inside the pocket of the lab coat she was still wearing. I pulled out my portal gun, straightened up, and made my way over to where the alternate version of myself was laying on the ground. I kneeled down beside him, checking his pulse. It was weak, but detectable. I hastily dressed in my own clothes before pulling the lab coat off the other Rick, slipping it over my shoulders. I set the coordinates for my garage in the portal gun, then shot it at the ground below the unmoving Rick, jumping through after him. 

 

The first thing I noticed when arriving in the garage was that the hatch in the ground was open, and I could hear talking coming from down below. I strained to hear, quickly realising that it was Morty. Either he was talking to himself, or there was two of them down there. The son of a bitch must've come here first; fuck knows what I'd find down there. I rolled the unconscious Rick over to the hatch, and tried to lower him down somewhat gently, but he still fell like a sack of shit, hitting the ground with a loud thump. I climbed down after him, glancing around the underground lab, assessing the situation.

 

The lab looked a lot like the one I had back in my old dimension, with purple lights running along each edge of the room, illuminating the work surfaces along with various gadgets and unfinished projects. At the end of the room sat the source of the voices. One Morty sat on the worktop, as another curled up inside a small cage. I raised a brow at the scene, wondering why the fuck this weirdo had a cage like that in his lab, but quickly realised that it belonged to Snuffles. The free Morty had looked up when he heard the body drop, and at my arrival he hopped down from the counter and rushed over to me.

 

“Jeez Rick, i-i-is he dead?” He asked me, staring wide eyed at the bloodied body on the floor.

 

“No-urrrgh-pe.” I told him, strolling past him towards the caged Morty. He stared up at me fearfully as I approached. 

 

“Where's (y/n)? Did the other Rick hurt her?” The other Morty asked, and I ignored him. I reached into my stolen lab coat’s pocket, pleased to find a key, and unlocked the cage. “W-what are- why are you letting him out?” He asked.

 

“Come over here, I need your help, Morty.” I said, and the kid did just as he was told. Not that I expected anything different. 

 

“You're not gonna kill him, are you, Rick?” He whined, and I glanced at him from the corner of my eye. I opened up the cage door and reached in to grab my Morty's wrist, pulling him out of the cage. The other Morty came to a stop beside me.

 

“No. I just need you to uh- you gotta check something for me. Morty I need you to check he didn't leave anything in there for me while I- I'm just gonna run some tests okay? Th-these alternate versions of us, they- we don't know what they could be carrying. H-he could've left some kinda- some kinda bomb or something in there Morty.” I said, and the kid looked up at me with a nervous, unsure expression. I rolled my eyes. “Just do it for Grandpa, Morty.” I added, and he hesitantly did as he was told. He ducked his head, looking into the cage. I took the opportunity to boot his ass so he fell head first inside. I shut the door behind him as he protested.

 

“Hey, cut it out Rick!” He shouted as I locked the cage up.

 

“Gullible little shit.” I snorted, turning to my Morty as realisation dawned on the both of them.

 

“What the hell, Rick! Wh-w-what happened?” He exclaimed, looking between me, the cage, and the other Rick. 

 

“You psycho son of a- let me out!” The other Morty yelled, kicking the cage. I shot him an irritated frown.

 

“Shut the fuck up, kid, do as- you'll do as I say if you know what's good for you.” I warned, and he stopped kicking, yet continued his glare. 

 

“Rick, th-they just turned up! I-I-I thought you said they were dead!” My Morty said, and I sighed heavily, walking back over to the crumpled heap that was the other Rick. I dragged him over to one of the alien holding cells that I used for my research into space AIDS, and locked him in.

 

“They should've been, Morty! They- I watched them heading straight for a black hole. Y-y-you know what happens when you enter a black hole Morty?” I asked, and the boy shook his head. “Your entire body, it- it stretches out like a piece of pasta Morty, i-it's a process literally called spaghettification. It stretches you out so thin you become just a- just a bunch of atoms, Morty. You think anyone could survive that?”

 

“Then why are they here, Rick?” He asked. I opened my mouth to speak, then realised I didn't have an answer. I looked up at the unconscious Rick, where he was suspended against the wall with cuffs on his arms and legs. 

 

“Good question, Morty. I'm gonna wait until he wakes up and then I'm gonna- we're gonna find out.” I told him. 

 

-

 

A few hours went by, and Morty and I had been taking turns to keep watch over the alternate versions of us. In the meantime I'd checked on (y/n), making sure she was still okay. The solution I'd used to knock her out had a tendency to work  _ too  _ well; but it'd been a spur of the moment situation. She was fine, still fast asleep where I'd left her. 

 

I was making sandwiches when Morty came running into the kitchen, flapping his arms around and babbling incoherently. I dropped what I was doing, and made my way back down to the lab, noticing that the other Rick had come round, and was struggling against the restraints. He looked like shit; I'd done a real number on his face, which was now swollen and bruised all over. Must've hurt like hell. I came to stand in front of him, crossing my arms and waiting for him to settle down as he yelled and growled like a rabid animal; spraying spit everywhere. It was a couple of minutes before he stopped, his body going limp in defeat.

 

“Finished?” I asked, and he grunted. “Listen, Rick, I understand that you must be pretty pissed right about now-”

 

“Pissed? I'm gone for a day and you're fucking my girl?” He interrupted, and I raised a brow.

 

“A day?” I repeated, and he stared at me blankly. “Dude, it's been over a week.”

 

“That isn't surprising, t-time must work differently when… I didn't consider time dilation.” he mumbled almost inaudibly, talking to himself. I narrowed my eyes.

 

“Aaaanyway,” I started, rocking back and forth on my heels. “I get it. You're pissed. But uh, I think we can act like adults here, right? Civilised?”

 

“Maybe if you let me out of this fucking thing.” He grumbled.

 

“Not yet. I don't trust- I'm not risking you jumping me like you did earlier. Look, I'm all for a little rough play, but we didn't even set up a safe word.” I made a point of rubbing my neck, where I could tell bruises were forming. “We both want answers, right? You wanna know who's been blowing your girlfriend's mind all week, and I wanna know how the fuck you're alive. Correct?”

 

“Sounds about right.” He grunted.

 

“I watched you fly straight into a black hole.” I said.

 

“Impressive, huh? Look, I'll tell you how I did it if you just fuckin’ leave, okay?” He said, and I shook my head.

 

“Slow down, buddy. I'm not going anywhere.”

 

“Then I'm not telling you jack shit!” He shouted, tugging once more on his restraints. He must have known it was futile; he'd made the damn things himself. “And where is (y/n)? You better not have fucking hurt her.” 

 

“She's at home, asleep.” I simply told him, and he frowned. 

 

“You're a real low piece of shit, you know that?”

 

“Oh, we both know that. We're Ricks.” I snorted.

 

“Yeah, but I mean, fucking another Rick's girl is just- I thought there was this unspoken rule or something-”

 

“Sorry, I guess the rules don't apply to me. Get over it; she has way more fun with me than she ever could with you, buddy. You'd be doing her a favor by flying back into your magical black hole.” I shrugged.

 

“Fuck you.” He scowled at me. 

 

“Tell me how you survived flying into that black hole.” I demanded.

 

“If I tell you; what're you gonna do for me?”

 

“I might just consider not murdering you.” I said.

 

“I'm serious, I won't say a fucking word.” He growled, and I shrugged again.

 

“I'm completely fine with not knowing, by the way. You can go ahead and keep your mouth shut, I'll just blow a hole in your head and carry on fucking that pretty little lady of mine;  _ way _ more fun.” I told him, and it was the total truth. It was just a matter of burning curiosity, the scientific, inquisitive side of me coming out, that urged me to seek answers.

 

Rick stared down at me, breathing heavily with anger. I could tell he knew his place; he was completely under my control and he held none of the cards. It wasn't like a Rick to be scared of death; it was more an inconvenience than anything. But there was a glimmer of vulnerability in his bloodshot eyes. If there was one thing Ricks hated; it was a lack of control, and the possibility of not getting what they wanted. And he knew that's exactly what was happening.

 

“I built a new ship. One that was capable of withstanding the forces inside a black hole; made almost entirely out of Rombopulon Steel.” He told me. Rombopulon Steel was the strongest metal to be found so far in all the explored universes. It was incredibly rare, I was yet to find a universe that contained it; but it's possible uses were endless. “I did a lot of experiments beforehand; I set up my own miniature black hole and managed to get an ant out alive using new p-portal technology to get it back, since it's impossible to simply drive back out again. Th-there's not a ship in the conceivable universes powerful enough. But, uh, of course… I had to see what was inside a black hole for myself.”

 

“And?” I prompted. He shrugged.

 

“Absolutely nothing.” He told me. 

 

“Huh. Anticlimactic.”

 

“You're telling me. I've been working on this shit for eight years. When I finally complete my biggest fucking project, huger than interdimensional travel, my magnum opus… I drive around in total blackness all fucking day. Tha-that's all. Portal back home, leaving my ship behind, only to find some prick’s been boning my girlfriend all week. Jus-just take a second to picture that.” He clenched his teeth harder and harder as he explained.

 

“We all have bad days.” I said lightheartedly, resisting the urge to smirk. He ignored me and continued.

 

“Does she even know who you are?” He asked. I cleared my throat and pulled a chair out from under the workbench, rolling it over to where I'd been standing, and I took a seat.

 

“She does.” I admitted, and he didn't look as angry as I expected. Just dejected. “Like me, she was under the impression that you were dead.”

 

“Wow, she moved on p-pretty quick then, huh? Didn't know she was such a bitch.” He mumbled under his breath, staring down at the ground. I felt a flash of rage at his insult.

 

“H-hey, it wasn't like that, okay? Sh-she didn't- it wasn't her fault. Maybe if you'd been more honest, you know? Told her about what you do all day, none of this would've happened.”

 

“I kept it from her to protect her! It was too much for her, she- it messed her up when I tried.” He argued, and I rolled my eyes dramatically.

 

“Y-you don't give her enough credit, Rick. Sh-she was pretty okay with it last time, you just… you just got annoyed with her asking questions.” Morty spoke up from across the room. He seemed to shrink under the sudden gaze of the other Rick and I. “S-sorry. I'll stay out of it.”

 

“Y-yeah, you do that.” Rick said, looking a little agitated by the kid's outburst.

 

“S-seriously? Is that it? The girl's curious and y-you just can't be bothered to explain stuff to her? Wow. And you said I was a low piece of shit.” I snorted.

 

“Don't get all high and fuckin’ mighty with me, asshole. You're the one who took advantage of her when she thought you were me. Pretty sure that's worse.”

 

“What're you, five? We're not in a damn competition here. I'm just saying; that's pretty lazy, man.”

 

“I was busy! You have no idea how hard it was to juggle a relationship while trying to work out how to not get obliterated at the event horizon, th-that's pretty far out stuff. After I told her everything sh-she just wanted to explore, asking me to take her to all these different planets, it was- I couldn't deal with it.” 

 

“What, she became too high-maintenance?” I raised a brow, leaning back in my chair and crossing my ankles over as I stared him down. He glared at me. I knew he wanted to say yes, but didn't want to sound like any more of an asshole than he already did; so he held his tongue. “Alright, well, I'm going to bed. Need to sleep on this whole situation, f-figure out what I'm gonna do.” I said, rising to my feet. 

 

“I just wanted to keep her out of it. Keep her separate.” He added, raising his voice as I walked away from him. 

 

“Whatever helps you sleep at night.” I called back.

 

~

 

I awoke feeling dizzy, drunk, a little anxious. I sat up, realising that I was on the sofa and not in my bed, and I was naked apart from Rick's lab coat. I frowned, trying to remember what day it was, and why I was feeling like I'd attended one hell of a rager last night. I hadn't felt so messed up since that one time I'd tried cocaine in college. I glanced around the room, noticing my clothes strewn over the floor, and a spark of memory hit me. I recalled being bent over that armchair, Rick behind me, giving it to me like I'd always dreamt about. I flushed deep red, wriggling on the seat and feeling a subtle ache in my backside where he'd spanked me. I rose to my feet, still feeling a little weak. We must've been drunk. Completely smashed. 

 

It occurred to me that it was Tuesday, and an ice cold dart of fear struck me. I scrambled around the house looking for my phone, finding it in my bag by the door. I checked the time, it was past nine in the morning, I should've been at work an hour ago. I cursed under my breath, and quickly phoned the school. I lied and said that I'd been vomiting all morning, having eaten something off, and luckily they believed me. I felt too out of it to be in charge of a room full of kids, and I needed to fill in the gap in my memory. It wasn't like me to drink so much I couldn't remember the night before, especially on a work night; and I was desperate to see Rick. Maybe he'd have some answers. 

 

I made my way upstairs, gripping onto the banister to steady myself. I brushed my teeth and had a quick shower, feeling much better after doing so, then quickly dressed before heading out the door. I drove to the Smith house, noticing the garage door was closed for a change, so I knocked on the front door. Nobody answered. I rang the doorbell, waited some more, and some more… Nobody was coming. I pulled out my phone and dialed for Rick, waiting patiently as it rang two, three, four times. Just as I thought it'd go to voicemail, he picked up.

 

“Sweetheart, how're you feeling?” He said straight away, sounding way too casual. I frowned.

 

“Rough. How much did we drink last night?” I asked.

 

“Last night, uhh, w-we had quite a lot, baby.” He told me. I sighed, annoyed at myself.

 

“Well, I woke up late, called in sick to work. I'm standing outside your house.” I explained, glancing around the street, feeling a little silly. 

 

“ _ Oh,  _ that's you knocking on the door?” He exclaimed. 

 

“Yes. Are you gonna… let me in?” I asked timidly, I was met with silence. “Rick?”

 

“Uhhh, y-yeah, sure… One sec.” He said, then hung up the phone. I slid my phone into my pocket and waited. It was another couple of minutes before the door opened up, and I eyed Rick up suspiciously.

 

“Everything okay?” I asked. Meeting his eyes, I was a suddenly struck with a strange feeling. This sensation of dread, like something really bad was about to happen. Not quite… more like something bad already had happened. I frowned to myself, chasing that sensation, hoping it would lead me to the hole in my memory.

 

“Everything's fine, baby. I was just- just getting dressed.” He told me, stepping aside so I could enter. 

 

“You know, I can't remember much from last night.” I told him as he led me into the living room. “Why did we even start drinking? I wouldn't normally do that on a weekday.” 

 

“E-exactly how much do you remember?” He asked, remaining standing as I took a seat on the sofa.

 

“I remember you turning up at my place and… well, we had sex in my living room.” I laughed to myself, glancing down at my hands. “Then things just disappear. It's all just flashes of things after that… I seem to remember you coming into the kitchen. But I don't even remember when we started drinking. That never usually happens to me.”

 

“Y-yeah we uh, we started doing shots in the kitchen after we fucked.” He told me with certainty, nodding his head.

 

“Shots? I haven't done shots since I was in college.” I said, shaking my head. “Why the hell were we doing shots?”

 

“Just… just for fun, I guess.” He shrugged, clearing his throat. “You were a real lightweight, though. Probably explains your memory going. Don't worry about it, baby, let's uh, let's get some breakfast, yeah?” He said, and I shuddered at the idea.

 

“I'm good, thanks. I'm feeling nauseous.” I explained. 

 

“We could go out somewhere? Get out of the house?” He suggested. On any other day, I'd be thrilled with the idea. But not today.

 

“I'm supposed to be sick. What if someone from work sees me?” I said, sighing sadly. 

 

“Uhh, that's why we go off-planet.” He smirked. Still, the idea wasn't thrilling me.

 

“I feel pretty awful, Rick. I was hoping I could just, I don't know, watch you work in the garage?” I tilted my head at him, watching his mouth drop open, yet he remained silent for an unnaturally long pause. 

 

“No.” He finally said. That was a surprise.

 

“Oh. Alright, any particular reason why?” I asked. 

 

“I uh… I'm working on something r-real complicated, I don't need- you'd be a distraction.” He explained.

 

“I'd be quiet. I won't say a single word.” I said persuasively. He ran a hand through his hair, a look of despair on his face.

 

“Look, uh, today's not a good day.”

 

“We can even do that thing I said I wanted to do.” I said, rising to my feet and walking over to him. I trailed my hand up his chest, enjoying the way his eyes snapped to my face, his lips parting just slightly. “There's nobody else here, right? Beth's at work. The kids are at school. We won't be interrupted.” 

 

“Baby…” he said on an exhale, catching my hand as it slid back down his body, reaching his lower abdomen. I looked down at our entwined hands, hiding my face as I spoke again.

 

“Or I could make you feel good as you worked. Would you like that?” I said quietly, and I heard him swallow. When he didn't respond, I turned on my heel, heading for the garage and tugging him along with me. We didn't get far. It was like pulling on a brick wall, and Rick's hand tightened around mine to hold me in place. I looked back at him in confusion.

 

“Not, not in there.” He said.

 

“You don't want me to sit under your desk as you work? See how much of a distraction I am when I'm… Um. I said I'd be quiet, and well, I can't say a lot with my mouth full.”

 

“Fuck, sweetie, let's um- let's just stay in here, yeah?” He grabbed my other hand, pulling me back into the center of the living room. 

 

“I'm being assertive, Rick. Telling you what I want. I thought you liked that?” I frowned, and he chewed on his bottom lip, eyes darting to the doorway that led towards the garage. I followed his gaze, suspicion mounting. “Is there something in there?”

 

Rick paused a little too long. “No.”

 

I narrowed my eyes at him, then pulled my hands out of his grip. I marched towards the garage, feeling Rick trying and failing to grasp my arm. 

 

“Hold on, there's nothing- w-w-would you stop?” He protested, I swung my arm out of his grip and couple more times before reaching the garage door. When my hand reached the handle, Rick wrapped his arms around my torso, pulling me back.

 

“What the hell, Rick?” I shouted. 

 

“Just do as you're told! You're not going in there.” He told me, extremely irritated by my disobedience. 

 

“This is weird. Something happened yesterday, didn't it? Something to do with whatever you're hiding from me.” I said sternly, giving up after about three seconds of struggling, Rick was surprisingly strong.

 

“Nothing happened!” He argued.

 

“I don't believe you. I haven't drank to excess in years, and I don't see why I'd start on a Monday night for no apparent reason. It's not like me, and you know it.”

 

“I-I-I was a bad influence on you. I kept on pouring your drinks, took it t-too far. My bad.” He explained, and I rolled my eyes.

 

“I'm not some lemming, Rick. I know how to say no. You aren't fooling anybody. Tell me what's in the garage, and what it has to do with me.” 

 

“Argh, for fucks sake!” He yelled, shifting his grip on me so it was one-armed. The next thing I knew he was holding a spray bottle in front of my face. The sight of it jogged my memory.

 

“No!” I grunted, bucking violently under his arm and twisting away from the firing line of the nozzle. With sheer panic, I somehow managed to get out of his grip, knocking the bottle out of his hand as I did. I kicked it across the room. “You sprayed that shit in my face last night! That's why I don't remember diddly squat.” I was livid, shouting at him through clenched teeth. I spun around and pulled the garage door open, stepping inside and looking around, searching for… something.

 

“See? There's nothing in here.” He said, crossing his arms over his chest and frowning at me.

 

“If you don't tell me what the fuck is happening, I'm leaving you.” I said calmly. He sighed and rubbed at his temples.

 

“It'll only hurt you… That's why I knocked you out with that spray, alright?”

 

“I don't care. My trust in you was already extremely fragile, Rick. I need you to be  _ honest  _ with me.” I pleaded. 

 

“If I tell you, it's going to uproot literally  _ everything _ . You- are you prepared for that?” He asked. I hesitated, wondering what he could mean by that. I nodded my head anyway. Rick sighed heavily, then dragged his feet over to the other side of the room. He kneeled down and opened up a hatch in the ground. I raised a brow, having not known of its existence beforehand. He stood up again and gestured dramatically to the ladder that led down into darkness. I paused, looking between him and the hatch. “Go on, then. Take a look. You've got five minutes.” 

 

“What is it?” I asked, my voice small. I was suddenly terrified. He didn't answer, just kept on staring at me expectantly. It was obvious I wasn't going to get an answer, so I took a deep breath and made my way over to the hatch. For all I knew, Rick was about to kick me down and lock me in a secret torture dungeon, to never see the light of day again. But I took the risk, and climbed down the ladder. 

 

Before I'd even turned around, I heard it. Rick, frantically making noise, as if he had something covering up his mouth. It took me a moment to realise it wasn't coming from above, but behind me. I spun around, taking in the high-tech looking laboratory, my eyes quickly landing on another Rick, and I didn't need anyone to tell me who he was. I rushed over to him, reaching up to peel the duct tape from his mouth, wincing as it clung to his stubble. I backed away slowly once he had the ability to speak, I was slack jawed, just staring at him. He was locked into a set of restraints against the wall, his face swollen, caked with dried blood, two black eyes.

 

“Ugh, fuck! Th-thank God. Where is he? Are you here to get me out of here?” He asked. I shook my head dumbly, not really knowing what to do with myself. “Sweetheart, beautiful… I-I know this isn't a great reunion as it is but you gotta do me a favor. I'm about to fucking piss myself up here, that psycho hasn't let me out since he put me here last night. Y-y-you gotta get me a bucket or something.”

 

I glanced around the room, in a sort of dream-like state, blindly following his instructions. I found a small plastic trash can, emptied it out onto the floor and made my way back over to him. I paused, glancing at his pants before looking back up at his face. He looked pained.

 

“Um, sorry… I have to…” I mumbled, placing the bin down briefly undo his pants and pull his member out of the confines of his underwear. This had to have been the least dignified thing I'd ever witnessed. I wasn't about to hold his cock for him while he took a piss, so I lifted the bin up to crotch level, and looked away. He sighed in relief as he let go, and I cringed at the entire situation. What a reunion.

 

“Im sorry, baby. Thank you… Fuck. One more minute and I'd-”

 

“What's going on, Rick? I thought you were dead.” I interrupted. 

 

“Nope. Clearly not.” He said, stating the obvious. 

 

“You haven't been locked down here the whole time, have you?” The awful thought suddenly occurred to me, bringing with it a wave of nausea that certainly wasn't helped by the strong smell of urine hitting my nostrils.

 

“No, I've been- you were there last night. You saw me.” He said.

 

“He sprayed something in my face. I don't remember a lot.” I explained. “Finished?” I asked, and he nodded. I put the bin down, pushing it away from us with my foot before tucking Rick back into his pants. “Where's Morty?” I asked. He gestured with his head over to the other side of the room, and I covered my mouth in horror. He was curled up inside a dog cage, currently fast asleep.

 

“We came back yesterday; I thought we were only going to be gone for a day. We travelled through a b-black hole with this new ship I'd been working on, an-and it turned out time moves more quickly inside-”

 

“Okay, alright, I don't need a science lesson. You thought you were gone for a day, but on earth that was over a week.” I nodded, just accepting it all because I was far past questioning things at this point. “That other Rick; did he know you were alive?” I asked, and he shook his head. Well, at least  _ that  _ wasn't a lie.

 

“Baby, you need to convince him to let me out. Either that or steal the key fob that unlocks these restraints. He- that guy's a fucking nut job.” He said. I looked down at the ground and shook my head, feeling completely overwhelmed by it all. 

 

“I didn't know. And ... To think I've been falling in love with him.” I said. No point skirting around the issue. It was what it was.  

 

“What? N-no, how could- it's been a week! You love  _ me. _ ” He said. “You just held up a bucket for me to piss in, if that's not love then I don't know what is! L-look at me, baby.” I slowly lifted my head to meet his eyes. “You love me.” He repeated, like he was trying to remind me.

 

“He's been more honest with me than you ever were.” I said, and he gave me the most horrified look I'd ever seen. “He showed me things! I've never felt so, so… why couldn't you have done that for me?”

 

“Are you serious?”

 

“Rick. I do love you. I always will, you were my first everything, okay? But all this?” I gestured around the room we were in. “This is a huge part of you. And you kept it from me.”

 

“T-to keep you safe! For this exact reason, this side of a Rick's life is- it's fucking chaos, baby. Don't you see that? I didn't want you involved.” 

 

“I get it.” I nodded, glancing back over to the ladder leading up to the garage. I honestly felt kind of dead inside. Every shred of emotion that I should've been feeling didn't exist. I should be relieved that my Rick was alive. I should be overjoyed. I should be scared. Angry. I felt nothing. “I honestly don't know what to do.” I said monotonously, lowering myself down to sit on the floor, bringing my knees up to my chest. My head hurt. I couldn't tell if it was a headache brought on by whatever shit Rick had sprayed at me, or if it was everything that'd happened taking its toll. 

 

“(Y/n).” He whispered my name, and he sounded desperate.

 

“I didn't ask for any of this. Never in a million years did I  _ want _ any of this. I just… I just wanted a nice, happy life with a smart, interesting boyfriend. You know what? I could handle the space travel and alternate dimensions and all of that. But this? It's too much. I've had my memory erased, I've slept with a guy who didn't even know me, lost my first love only to have him appear in my house again alive and well. I'm sick of being confused. I just want control and solidity, no more shattered illusions.” I sighed heavily and buried my face in my knees. “And if that means walking away from all of this, then I have to do it.”

 

“ _ What? _ ” Two voices barked in unison, and I looked up to see the other Rick sliding down the ladder, not even taking the time to come down step by step.

 

“Y-y-you’d just leave me?” He yelled, marching over to me. “ _ Not  _ happening, sweetheart. I've been through too much shit this week for it to all go to hell right when things start going my way.” Spit flew in all directions, and I frowned at him in disbelief.

 

“What; are you gonna lock me up in here too?” I asked. He growled angrily, fists clenched.

 

“No! You- I  _ want  _ you. And y-y-you said it yourself, you've fallen in love with  _ me. _ ” He dropped to his knees beside me and grabbed my shirt, holding onto me securely. “He doesn't matter. He didn't want to share his work with you because he thought you were an  _ inconvenience.  _ He fucking told me last night.” He said, and I looked up at my original Rick to see his response.

 

“Are you gonna listen to the lunatic who lied about who he was; pretended to be me so he could  _ fuck _ you?” He asked incredulously. 

 

“That's all in the past, right, baby? W-w-we talked about that. That doesn't matter anymore, right?” The Rick beside me was practically hysterical, clinging onto me with all he had. I pried his hands off of me and stood up, backing away from them both. “This doesn't need to end badly; we can- let's just go back to how things were just yesterday, yeah? You were happy. I was happy, let's just-”

 

“Shut up!” I shouted, waking Morty up in the process. He groggily looked around and said my name in surprise. I looked over at him, wanting to burst into tears at the idea of him being caught in the middle off all this shit.  _ My  _ shit. He was just a kid. “Can we please just let him out of that fucking cage?” I asked.

 

“I can't risk-” Rick started.

 

“Risk what? He's not going to do anything.” I sighed, marching over to Rick and searching around in his pockets until I found the key. He didn't try to stop me. I unlocked the cage, helping Morty out of the cramped space, he stretched and shook each one of his legs.

 

“Th-thank you.” He said to me, scratching his elbow and glancing between the other people in the room. 

 

“Good start. Now what about me?” My original Rick said, looking less than impressed. 

 

“You're staying up there.” New Rick said, flipping him the bird. 

 

“Look, we need to figure out what's going to happen now.” I said, dragging my hands through my hair.

 

“C-can I make a suggestion?” Morty said, and I looked at him expectantly. “Y-you know, it's actually pretty simple. Now that Rick and I are back, i-it's only fair if  _ you _ leave.” He pointed at new Rick, a look of hatred in his eyes.

 

“Sure. I'll go wherever the universe takes me, kid, but she's coming with me.” He jabbed a thumb at me. 

 

“You're not having her.” My original Rick protested.

 

“I'm not a possession!” I yelled. “Neither of you are having me. I don't want  _ anything  _ to do with  _ either  _ of you!” I spat, the words flying out of my mouth before I was even certain if it was what I wanted. I didn't want to take them back, though.

 

“No! Y-you can't be serious, (y/n), I've done nothing wrong!” Original Rick said, his voice wavering in a way that made me feel sick. 

 

“Can you blame me for wanting out?” I asked him, and he didn't answer. “Both of you need to realise that I'm  _ done.  _ I'll quite happily spend the rest of my life alone if it means I know what the fuck is going on in my life, okay? Deal with that how you will. Go out and find another version of me to fuck, I don't care. Unless one of you is going to provide me with some goddamn stability, I'm just done. I can't do it.” I threw my hands up in the air and made my way over to the ladder. I was stopped by Rick of course, who grabbed hold of my wrist. 

 

“Wait. You can't tell me it's easy for you to walk away after everything that's happened.”

 

“Of course it's not fucking easy. But what's my alternative? Pick between you? That'll never work, and I don't even think I'd be able to make that decision. Morty's right. You need to leave this dimension.” I said to him, watching his expression turn crestfallen, then turned to my original Rick. “And you need to leave me alone.”

 

“Please, baby, I  _ love  _ you!” My original Rick pleaded, and I forced my feet to keep carrying me towards the ladder. I could barely breathe past the lump in my throat, but I kept my composure as I climbed out of the hatch. I took a few moments to steady my breath once I was in the garage, pulling myself together before I could shed any tears. Then I left. I got in my car. Drove back home. And tried to forget. 


	17. Out Of My Hands

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think there's only one chapter left after this, guys! The end is nigh! *Screams*

I stood still for a second. It sunk in. My breath picked up. And suddenly, it hit me; pure fucking rage. I growled loudly, yanking at my own hair before spinning around and searching for something fragile. I needed destruction. I swung my arms across the nearest workbench, sending everything flying onto the floor with a satisfying clatter. I picked up a glass beaker and launched it at the far wall, just missing Morty's head before it burst into shards behind him. I marched over to the trashcan, giving it a good kick in the other Rick's direction, showering him with his own cold piss. I laughed aloud at his disgust and grabbed a weapon off one of the wall racks, swinging my arm around to point it directly at his face.

 

“You shouldn't have come back.” I spat, walking closer to him.

 

“Hey, w-w-wait a second!” Morty yelled, running towards me with his hands held out. 

 

“Y-you fucked things up for me! You ruined _ everything. _ You think I've never killed a Rick before? An-and for less?” I growled, ignoring the kid. “She was  _ mine. _ ”

 

“You're fucking delusional. You don't belong here!” Rick said, laughing in my face. I cocked the weapon, ready to core his head like an apple.

 

“Ohh jeez, c-c’mon you don't have to kill him!” Morty pleaded with panic clear in his voice, coming closer. 

 

“Ohhh, but I do. Nothing would bring me greater fucking pleasure.” I said.

 

“We'll go! W-w-we’ll leave this dimension, an-and you can stay. You won't hear from us again!” Morty bargained and I rolled my eyes.

 

“No fucking way! I'd rather take death than run away from this, Morty.” Rick protested. 

 

“Rick,  _ shut up.  _ I'm trying to save your ass, here.” Morty said through gritted teeth. “It wouldn't even be running! (Y/n) said herself, she doesn't even want anything to do with you. Leaving now, i-it’d be moving on… or something.” Morty reasoned, edging forward, ever closer. 

 

“I'm not leaving.” Rick insisted, staring me straight in the eye, daring me to shoot.

 

“You selfish fucking  _ asshole! _ ” Morty yelled, and I broke eye contact with Rick to stare at him, his words surprising me. “I-i-if he shoots you, you know I'm next! Y-you think I wanna die because of you, Rick? The one time in your life it actually matters, think about someone other than yourself! If you wanna die so bad, I'll shoot you myself! But give me a fighting chance first.” 

 

The kid had a point. I hadn't given much thought to what I was going to do with Morty after I'd ended Rick, but odds were I wasn't going to keep him around. Whether I'd kill him, though, was a different question. I'd probably put him into the system with all the other Rickless Mortys, and I knew those kids were miserable. Whatever happened, it wouldn't be good for him. His words had given Rick pause, and I waited to see what his response would be. Ricks didn't always seem to care a great deal about their grandkids, but I knew from experience that when it really came down to it, as a matter of life or death… Morty came first. It was a sort of unspoken rule, something all Ricks understood, though they'd never admit to it aloud.

 

“Fine. I-if this is the situation we're in… we'll go.” Rick finally said. I smirked. 

 

“Sure, good enough for me. But what's to say you aren't going to come back and kill me in my sleep? Ricks play dirty.” I said, but put away my weapon regardless. Morty seemed to relax at this. “And let's face it, you'd have one hell of an incentive. This isn't just about us.” 

 

“You heard her. Sh-she doesn't want anything to do with either of us.” He replied, tone emotionless as he stared at the floor. 

 

“She's pissed now, but she'll come around.” I said.

 

“I highly doubt that. She seemed p-pretty serious to me.”

 

“I'll make sure she comes around.” I added, and he gave me a disgusted look.

 

“What the fuck is that sus-supposed to mean?” He spat. I rolled my eyes dramatically.

 

“ _ Relax. _ Nothing sinister.” I told him, though he didn't seem to believe me. “Anyway. I'm going to send you to another dimension; don't worry, I'll pick a  _ nice  _ one. And uh, I'm gonna need some time to make some uh, arrangements. Morty; back in your cage.”

 

“W-what? No, I-I-I don't wanna go back in there! It's too- it makes my legs hurt.” He complained and I sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of my nose. 

 

“Fine.” I grumbled, grabbing his arm and pulling him over to where Rick was suspended, locking his wrist into one of the spare cuffs to keep him out of trouble.

 

“Th-this is real fucked up, you know that?” He complained.

 

“Blame your Rick. H-he was the one who started this whole 'locking people up’ trend. He gave me the idea.” I jabbed a thumb at the other Rick, before stalking towards the ladder.

 

“H-hold on a sec!” Rick yelled, and I turned on my heel to face him. “If I do this- i-if Morty and I leave… I'm only agreeing to this if I can see her before we go.” He said. I pursed my lips and narrowed my eyes in consideration. 

 

“What'd the point of that be, huh? I-i-it'd be a lot easier for me if you didn't, buddy, then I can tell her that you- that you guys fucked off without looking back, ready to take on her suggestion of finding another version of her. One that's more  _ pliable _ , knows her place, you know? That sort of thing. I'm sure she'd be- get over you real fast, then.” I said, crossing my arms and cocking a brow at him. He shook his head and looked away.

 

“Look, I'm giving you what you want. This is- it's not a lot to ask, is it? I just- sh-she’s the only person I've ever… y-you know, since Diane. I'm sure you can understand. Rick to Rick.” He was speaking quietly, and I could sense the defeat in his tone. Some Ricks gave up way too easily, I almost rolled my eyes at the pathetic state I'd so easily reduced him to. 

 

“You really love her, don't you?” I asked, and he met my eyes. He nodded his head slowly. “Huh. W-well tough shit. I-I don't experience this very often, but when I know something is- is right, I don't let it out of my sight, okay? I was just- things were going real fuckin’ well for me, I am  _ not  _ giving that up. If there's one thing you should know about me, it's that I  _ always _ win.” 

 

“I just want five minutes. I-if you're so confident that she's in love with you, or whatever, th-then that shouldn't be a problem.” He sighed, I frowned at him.

 

“Y-yeah I am confident. Know why? I took the time to learn about her, in all the ways you didn't.”

 

“I highly fucking doubt you know more about her than I do.” He scoffed, and I smirked at him, strolling back over. 

 

“Maybe not. But she's more willing to share certain things with me than she was with you, apparently. D-don't ask me why.” I shrugged. The other Rick narrowed his eyes at me, curiosity clear in his demeanor.

 

“Li-like what?”

 

“Like what she got up to in college.”

 

“Oh, the drugs and shit? Old news, buddy. So she was a wild child.” He tried his best to shrug his shoulders, struggling against his restraints.

 

“If you think that's what I'm referring to, you definitely don't know.” I chuckled. “But uh, I won't tell you. Wouldn't wanna screw up her trust like that. I will say this; she's not as innocent as she seems.” I snorted. I could tell just how much I was getting to him. He looked quietly infuriated, jaw clenched tight and eyes that could kill. “You left a real freak in my care, Rick. But I bet you didn't know that, did you?”

 

“Wh-what the fuck is that s-supposed to mean?” He asked, his tone furious.

 

“When you turned up yesterday I'd just had her over the chair, tanning that sweet round ass of hers, and she  _ loved it. _ ” I divulged, taking satisfaction from his expression; it looked like he was about to turn green and double in size. 

 

“Wh- yo- dude, my Morty is right fucking there!” He choked on his words, and I cast a sideways glance at the kid. He was beet red, trying to pretend he wasn't listening. I couldn't care less about his presence, he wasn't my responsibility.

 

“Sh-she likes praise, too, you know that? Creams her panties for me when I call her a  _ good girl.  _ Bonus points if I throw  _ Daddy _ in there, but you know about that one, don't you? Cause, uhh, you got her to call you that, didn't you?” I said, holding back a howl of laughter at his blatant discomfort. He grimaced, glancing at Morty as his face flushed in mortification. This was way too much fucking fun. “Yeah, sh-she and I have had a lot of fun this week, I bet it tops anything you could ever give her. But I gotta thank you for one thing; you coached her in sucking dick pretty damn well.”

 

“Sh-shut the fuck up. Y-you're disgusting, you know that? Fucked up and completely depraved.” He spat, and I laughed heartily, clutching my belly.

 

“Y-you should know, that's Ricks for you. Don't deny you wouldn't be doing the exact same shit if the tables were turned.” I said, my tone accusational. He didn't deny it, simply narrowed his eyes. We both knew I was right. “Anyway. I have shit to do, so keep quiet.” I told them, then headed back up the ladder into the garage, closing the hatch behind me. I decided it would be a good time to pull Morty out of school; I'd need a second pair of eyes keeping tabs on them while I worked. So I did just that, and explained to him my plan. 

 

~

 

Regret was already settling in, and I'd barely been through the door five minutes. Should I have left like that? Who knows what was going to happen to my original Rick and Morty after I left them in  _ his  _ hands. He wouldn't kill them… Right? That would be unnecessary. And if he had any shred of care for me anymore, he'd respect what I'd said. He'd leave this dimension and go back to wherever he belonged. But then again, I didn't really see that happening. He did not seem like the type to give up easily. 

 

I threw myself down face first onto the sofa, letting out a long, loud breath into the cushions. 

 

Leaving wasn't the only thing I regretted, though. The things I'd said… they were abrupt and hadn't been thought out. I'd told them I wanted nothing to do with either with them; but I knew by the way my stomach churned at the idea that it was complete bullshit. Only issue was, I didn't know what the alternative was. I didn't  _ know  _ what I wanted. Well, I wanted things to be normal, to be like how they were yesterday; just like Rick had said. When we were happy. But I was caught in a very unique predicament. I was faced with two almost identical men, each of them holding my affection, despite it all. How could I choose? And oh, wouldn't it be nice to have both? Now that would be greedy, and it'd never fly with the two of them. 

 

Out of curiosity, I allowed my mind to wander in that direction. What would life with two Ricks be like? Would we spend time together as a three, or would we split the week up and take turns? Jesus, that'd be like they were my divorced parents. And how would sex work? Would it always be a threesome, would we never get the chance to go one on one? I don't know if I could handle two Ricks  _ every  _ time. Once in a while though…

 

I shook my head, realising how ridiculous that train of thought was. I rolled onto my back and looked up at the ceiling. I noticed Rick's lab coat hanging off the back of the sofa, and shifted my stare to it for a while. The urge crept up on me gradually, and I was soon unable to stop myself from grabbing it and draping it over myself, tucking my head underneath it. I inhaled deeply, sinking into that wonderful mix of masculine muskiness, chemicals, Rick's aftershave and a weird burnt smell that I had found on my own clothes after passing through a portal for the first time. Of course there was the underlying scent of alcohol too, and I suddenly thought to reach into the inner pocket, the one he reached into the most. My fingers met the cool metal of his flask, and I pulled it out and gave it a shake. Liquid sloshed around inside, I considered my actions for a long while before I unscrewed the cap and took a swig. I shuddered all over, my face screwing up as the neat vodka met my tongue; I had to force myself to swallow, completely unaccustomed to drinking pure spirits. I coughed and wiped my lips, and wondered how the hell he drank it so easily. That thought was extremely depressing, and I ended up slipping the flask back where it came from with a heavy sigh. 

 

I curled onto my side, the single gulp of alcohol settling warmly in my belly. I closed my eyes, Rick's scent filling my nostrils with every inhale; serving to calm me, fill me with a sense of safety. It didn't take long for me to drift off to sleep, I wasn't even tired; I simply wanted to be unconscious for a while to give my mind a rest. 

 

-

 

A number of days passed; I was back at work, and I couldn't help but notice that Morty was absent. I tried not to be concerned, and focused on my job. Rick's lab coat was hanging on the back of my sofa again, I hadn't touched it since I'd slept under it, and I wasn't entirely sure what to do with it. I didn't want to take it over to the Smith household, but how could I really get rid of it? I hadn't even looked in all the pockets, there could be a whole bunch of dangerous sci-fi crap in there, and I didn't want to mess with that stuff. So it stayed where it was, and I was hoping I'd come home one day to find it had disappeared, but that was yet to happen.

 

The fact that I hadn't heard from Rick,  _ either  _ of them, was simultaneously a relief, and completely heartbreaking. I missed him. Of course I did, whether I was happy with it or not, I still loved him. I didn't know which one I yearned for, which added confusion onto the whole pile of emotions I was already feeling. I just loved  _ Rick _ as a being, a concept, a whole string of existence. How could I begin to work through those kinds of feelings? There definitely weren't any self help books out there on the matter. I just muscled through my day hopping back and forth between a sense of finality, both eyes forward and ready to move on, and a longing, a glimmer of hope that something was going to happen to solve everything, and I could be happy again. But try as I might, I couldn't find a solution that'd make everyone happy. It was an impossible conundrum.

 

I was watching my dinner spin round and round in the flickering orange light of my microwave when a portal opened up behind me. It never ceased to make me jump, and I screeched as I spun around to face the glowing green pool. Nothing happened for a moment, but finally, someone stepped through. Two Ricks, one holding onto a pair of cuffs around the others wrists, dragging him through behind him. The second one looked pissed, but softened when he saw me. My heart was thumping away so hard I got concerned for my health. I stared between them, waiting for someone to say something. 

 

“Five minutes. A-and I  _ will  _ be timing it.” The first Rick said, shoving the cuffed Rick forward, who seemed to simmer with a tired kind of anger, like a ground down parent. The other Rick strolled out of the room, leaving us alone. I looked at the cuffed Rick, seeing him open his mouth to speak.

 

“Before you start, I just want to make absolutely sure. You're my original Rick, right? Two identical men just appeared in my kitchen, forgive me for needing to get things clear.” I said, and he nodded his head, taking a few steps towards me.

 

“Y-yeah, that's me babygirl.” He said, bringing his cuffed hands up to cup my cheeks. He seemed to let out a sigh of relief when his skin touched mine, and I froze under the contact. “Oh God, I missed you. I'm s-so sorry for all of this. I should've been honest with you.” 

 

“It's okay. You couldn't have seen this coming.” I said and he nodded, leaning forwards and pressing his forehead against mine. I closed my eyes and reached up to hold onto his arms, my heart was beating so hard it was like it was trying to drag me forwards to close the gap between our torsos.

 

“I love you, baby, I really do. D-don't forget it, okay? I-I-I…” He trailed off, letting out a shaky breath. 

 

“What's going to happen, Rick?” I asked, my voice sounded thick and shaky, I tried not to cry but I could feel it coming. 

 

“I have to go, sweetie. I gotta leave. Me and Morty.” He told me. “I don't want to leave you, baby, but I- Morty-” he shook his head, stopping short. 

 

“I get it.” I sighed, letting go and leaning back, distancing myself from him. “He's making you go, threatening to kill you and Morty if you don't. That's predictable.” 

 

“I don't know what else I can do.” He admitted, grabbing my hands. “Un-unless you find a way to come with me? Y-yeah, if you can manage to get hold of his portal gun, you can come to me and- and we'll move to a dimension where he can't find us, then we can-”

 

“No.” I cut him off, and he jolted at my refusal. “First of all, I wouldn't have a clue how to operate that thing, let alone get to wherever you are. Second of all… my life is here. My family, my job, my friends. I can't just uproot everything, you understand that, right?”

 

“That's what I have to do.” He reminded me, and I nodded in understanding, looking down at our hands. 

 

“I'm sorry. I don't know what to say, Rick. What can either of us do?” I mumbled, wanting everything to just disappear. 

 

“I know.” He whispered, disappointed yet understanding. “M-maybe you can talk to him, convince him to change his mind.” He suggested, and I gave him a look. He simply nodded. We both knew there wasn't a thing I could say that wouldn't just make him dig his heels in even more. “C-can I kiss you?” He asked after a while. I was hesitant, did I really want to put myself through that? It would surely hurt, knowing that it was a goodbye kiss.

 

“Yes.” I said, despite my concerns. He didn't even pause, he was on me as soon as the word was out, hungrily exploring my mouth, probing deep and intrusive. I let out a quiet sound, and I couldn't tell if it was out of enjoyment or protest. There were many mixed feelings involved. I simultaneously wanted to pull him closer, and push him away. He moaned deeply, his cuffed hands pressing into my stomach, bound far too closely to wrap around me, or even hold onto my waist. 

 

He backed me up against the counter, and I vaguely heard the microwave beeping behind me. His hips pinned me, and I had a weird feeling of wrongness flood through me. It only got worse when those hands trailed up my body, cupping my breasts. I pulled back with a start, pushing him away with a hand in the middle of his chest. 

 

“You said kiss.” I scolded him, and he frowned at me.

 

“Y-yeah, but… I thought…” He murmured, looking comically confused. 

 

“Thought what? We could have a quick two minute fuck in my kitchen before you left? No.”

 

“He's won, hasn't he?” He asked.

 

“What? No.”

 

“You're gonna go straight back to him as soon as I'm gone.” He said, nodding his head. I glared at him.

 

“That's not part of the plan. If he wants to stay here, that's up to him. He hasn't won anything other than the right to live in this dimension.” I argued. He seemed to ignore every word coming out of my mouth.

 

“One week with him and you've forgotten  _ everything  _ about us. Why is that? 'Cause he slapped you around a little?” He asked, and I recoiled, audibly gasping.

 

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean, he hasn't laid a hand-”

 

“He fucking told me. About your little kink. Y-you're gonna let sex dictate this for you, you think I wouldn't have given you everything you wanted if you'd j-just  _ asked? _ ” He was getting angry, raising his voice and drooling down his chin.

 

“Okay, that has absolutely fuck all to do with what's going on right now. And it also has  _ fuck all _ to do with you. So I kindly ask you to calm down, and forget whatever he told you.” I frowned, crossing my arms over my chest, putting a barrier between us.

 

“He  _ gloated. _ That's what kind of dick you're dealing with.”

 

“That seems like a very Rick trait. Don't think I’ve forgotten about you telling Jerry about the time we had sex in the shower.”

 

“That wasn't gloating, I was trying to gross him out! Y-you know he shaved his balls in there? There's a shower in the ensuite, I don't get why he didn't just use that and save everyone from having to rinse his pubes down the drain, it was like a fucking barber shop floor in there sometimes. I thought me telling him would put him off.” He exclaimed, and I rolled my eyes.

 

“I have no words.” I said.

 

“Baby, that other Rick is unstable. Surely you see that.”

 

“You're preaching to the choir, Rick. I'm not stupid, I can  _ see  _ how badly his morals are skewed. You can stop trying to convince me.” I sighed. 

 

“I'm worried about you.” He told me, and I could see in his eyes that he truly was. 

 

“I'm going to be fine. I've survived this long.” I shrugged. He leaned forwards and kissed my forehead. 

 

“Alright! Times up.” The other Rick came bursting into the room, tugging the man in front of me away by his shoulder. A portal opened up behind them, and my original Rick was shoved through.

 

“Goodbye, baby.” He managed to get out before he was swallowed up by the portal. It startled me. Was that it? That was the last I'd ever see of him? I gaped at where the portal once was, mouth hanging open wordlessly.

 

“I heard sh-shouting. Did he upset you? I swear to God, I'll send him to the dimension where everybody lives in a musical and they constantly break into song. I couldn't stand five minutes in that place.” The Rick still standing in my kitchen said, approaching me slowly. 

 

“Where'd you send him?” I asked.

 

“Jus-just back to the lab.” He told me. I finally looked at him, not really knowing what to say. “Don't worry, sweetie. I'm gonna make everything okay.” He whispered to me, closing the gap between us and rubbing the tops of my arms.

 

“None of this is okay.” I objected, and he nodded in understanding. 

 

“It will be.” He assured me and I scrunched my face up, not understanding his optimism at all. 

 

“Why are you making  _ him  _ leave?” I asked. Rick sighed, looking down as he continued to rub my arms. 

 

“B-because I am. I like it here, end of story.” He told me abruptly, a stubborn attitude that was rather childlike. 

 

“This is his dimension. His home. It's not fair.”

 

“Well, life isn't fair. H-he shouldn't have left.” He shrugged, then moved his grip down my arms to hold my hands. “(Y/n). We had a good thing going. Y-you can't deny that, I made you happy, right?”

 

“So did he.” I reminded him sadly, tilting my head, the corners of my mouth turning down as I felt the tears coming. I took several deep breaths to steady myself.

 

“S-so what; you'd rather be with him?” He asked. I truly couldn't answer. “That's what I thought.” 

 

“That's not me choosing you, I can't do it.” I shook my head, and he lifted one of my hands to his mouth, pressing kisses into my palm and nuzzling his cheek into me. 

 

“So you want us both, huh?” He asked, his voice lowering, taking on a provocative undertone. He started sucking and licking at my fingers between words, I didn't quite know what to do with myself. “You wanna be sandwiched between the two of us? You want me to fuck your sweet, wet pussy while he fills up your ass?”

 

“Rick, this isn't about-”

 

“You'd like it though, right?” He added. I pursed my lips as I watched him dip his tongue between two of my fingers suggestively. “Imagine that, every night.” He chuckled darkly, then pulled away. “It's not gonna happen, though, sweet cheeks. I don't like sharing.”

 

“I thought that might be the case.” I said, dropping my hand and leaning back against the counter. 

 

“I'm sorry you can't have what you want-”

 

“I just want things to go back to normal.” I said, looking him in the eye. He stared back, studying my face. “How they were the other night. I've never felt more at ease, more content, than when I walked into this kitchen after what we'd just done. That was it. That was  _ the  _ moment.” I said, a certain tone to my voice that I knew Rick was picking up on by the knowing expression on his face. 

 

“Okay.” He said quietly, nodding his head in understanding. 

 

“Okay? I want… I want everything else to go away. Like it  _ never happened _ .” I said pointedly. Rick nodded again in silent agreement. He moved forward, pressing his lips to mine in a single kiss. He backed away then, reopening the portal and heading towards it. He stepped through, and once again I was alone in my kitchen. 

 

I let out a long, shaky breath, and turned back to the microwave. I wasn't even hungry anymore, but I thought I should probably eat something anyway. I pulled the microwave meal out and gave it a stir, the smell of cheap food making my stomach churn, I popped it on a dinner tray and-

 

“Just so-”

 

“Shit!” I yelled, spinning around again to see Rick popping his head through a newly opened portal.

 

“Just so we're on the same page, you  _ were _ hinting that I should erase y-” He started, but I stopped him by covering his mouth with my hand.

 

“I'm not saying anything. I'm not  _ choosing _ anything. You'll just… do what you do and I'll… live with it.” I reasoned, nodding my head. He nodded his head too, then popped back through the portal. Once he was gone, I covered my face with my hands, trying so very very hard to steady my breathing for the umpteenth time that day. It was all in his hands, now.

 

Everything was out of my hands.  _ Everything. Was out. Of my hands. _

 


	18. Ignorance Is Bliss

“M-Morty, go and wake up the other us, it's time.” I said, loading the microchips I'd been working on for the past two days into the injector.

 

“Rick… I st-still don't think this is exactly ethical.” He said, rubbing at his arm as he hesitantly looked down at the hatch in the ground. I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose.

 

“She wants this. A-alright? Sh-she told me.” I said, and Morty didn't look like he believed me.

 

“I-I-I don't see why she would. I mean, n-no offense, she hasn't really known you… tha-that long.” He pointed out, and I rolled my eyes dramatically.

 

“You wanna know the truth? I'm surprised too. But she, uh, sh-she did a total one-eighty; first she wanted nothing to do with either of us and then… then she's asking my to erase her memory and shit; and it wouldn't be for the first time, by the way.” I told him and Morty took a few moments to consider my words, frowning at the floor.

 

“M-maybe that's just the way she deals with things. Y-you know? Maybe she doesn't really want this and just, just doesn't want to think about it. Y-you haven't really put her in a great position, Rick. I'm just saying, I think… I think there's something pretty fucked up about forcing the other us out of their dimension. It's one thing taking their place once they're dead, but this? I-I don't know.” 

 

“Aghh, Morty, j-just forget about it. Go to your room or whatever if you don't wanna help me.” I grumbled in frustration, continuing when he didn't leave. “I thought you liked it here, anyway. W-would you prefer to leave? Have to, to start all over again,  _ again?”  _ I asked.

 

“N-no.” He admitted, his voice small and defeated.

 

“Didn't think so. Anyway, I've been doing some digging on this Rick. Turns out that maybe he isn't as pure and wonderful as you might think.” I grunted.

 

“Wh-what do you mean, Rick?” He asked.

 

“Put it this way, finding a new (y/n) wouldn't be a new concept for him.” 

 

“Ho-holy shit, seriously?” Morty's eyes widened. I nodded, spinning in my chair to face him.

 

“But uh, despite all that, I'm n-not some evil villain who's gonna send 'em to an unthinkably awful dimension just for the sake of it, Morty. I've picked out a decent one, not much different to this one. You and I got eaten by giant moths on planet 7-Z-12, they'll slide right in.”

 

“Wow, is it th-that easy to find a dimension where we die in a really dumb way?” Morty asked.

 

“Surprisingly so. That's why you gotta listen to me, Morty. I-I'm the smartest Rick there is, I don't do dumb shit. Anyone with a brain knows you gotta wear bug repellant on 7-Z-12. Jesus.” I explained, rising to my feet and opening the hatch. “Now, are you coming or are you gonna cry too hard if you stick around to help me give them the boot?”

 

“S-so it's really happening now? Just like that?” He asked, approaching the hatch.

 

“Yeah, Morty. Why fuck around? Sooner this is over, sooner we can get on with our lives.” I told him, and climbed down into the lab. I walked over to where the other Rick and Morty were suspended on the wall, both of them asleep. Without hesitation, I reached up and pressed the barrel of the injector against Rick's neck, and pulled the trigger. As he startled awake and hissed in pain, I did the same to his Morty. 

 

“Ow, what the fuck?” Morty asked, tugging against his restraints as he felt the urge to scratch at his neck.

 

“I've just injected you both with a microchip. If you set foot in this dimension again once you've left, you'll get twelve-thousand milliamps put through you, and that won't be pretty. Same thing will happen if you tamper with it or try to cut it out.” I informed them, swiping a key fob over the reader close by, unlocking the restraints. Rick and Morty fell to the floor and simultaneously clutched at their necks, where they wouldn't be able to locate the tiny puncture wounds, but would definitely feel pain.

 

“Are you serious? Th-this wasn't part of the deal!” Rick piped up, scrambling to his feet. Days of restricted movement, however, had made him weak. 

 

“What did you think I was going to do? Send you to another dimension and just  _ trust  _ that you wouldn't come back?” I scoffed, tossing him his lab coat which had all of his Rick-essentials, flask and portal gun included, but minus any weapons. “This is the best deal you're gonna get; take it or we'll go back to my original plan.” I threatened, and Rick quietened down. 

 

I pulled out my own portal gun and turned the dial, setting it up for their new dimension. 

 

“Please, j-just look after my family.” Rick said, and I rolled my eyes.

 

“They aren't your family. I know this isn't your original dimension, okay? So don't act like this is new to you.” I said. He stared at me with wide eyes, and I scowled at him. “This isn't even your first (y/n), you fucking sleaze-bag.”

 

“H-how do you know that?” He asked incredulously, and I smirked. Those upgraded interdimensional goggles were worth the work, despite me never once using them for their original intended purpose.

 

“Cause I know fucking everything. Don't worry, though, I won't tell (y/n) how you left the alternate version of her to fester in the cronenberg wasteland. Hah, remember that Morty?” I called over my shoulder.

 

“Y-yeah, I re-remember that.” My Morty said sheepishly, ducking his head. The other Rick was seething.

 

“Don't worry, there's a (y/n) in your new dimension, third time's a charm, huh?” I snorted, then glanced over at his Morty. “Move over, get nice and close to Grandpa for me.” I said, and he nervously did as I asked. Without further ado, I shot a portal at the ground below their feet. “Aaand that's the end of that.” I said, putting my portal gun away.

 

“Hm, th-that was pretty… pretty anticlimactic, huh Rick?” Morty said from behind me, I turned to look at him.

 

“Well Morty, I'm not one for theatrics. I-I just wanted them the fuck out of my sight.” I told him as I made my way back over to the ladder and climbed back up to the garage. Morty followed soon after.

 

“S-so what next? Y-y-you still gonna erase (y/n)'s memory?” He asked me.

 

“That's the best thing for everyone, Morty. But first, I gotta do one more thing. Pass me the screwdriver.” I said.

 

-

 

I portaled into (y/n)'s living room when evening rolled around. She was sat watching television, and she slowly turned to look at me. I walked around the sofa, and she stood up, looking me up and down with a nervous look on her face. He eyes paused on what was in my hand, and I held it out to her.

 

“Finished this today. I said I'd do it, so…” I trailed off. She took the bird feeder I'd made, a small smile settling on her face. 

 

“Thank you.” She said, putting it aside on the coffee table. Her attention was turned to what was in my other hand. “Is that the, uh…” she said, and I nodded. It was the memory gun, and I placed it down next to the bird feeder before closing the gap between us. 

 

“Right back to that moment, huh? It's what's best, baby.” I said quietly, resting my hands on her shoulders. She looked down at my chest and took a deep breath. “It'll be a shock if things… if things don't make sense, so, we oughta set the scene.” I told her, and she nodded. 

 

“Okay.” She whispered.

 

“You were wearing my lab coat.” I said, noticing that it was draped over the back of her sofa, still in her possession since that night. She looked back up at my eyes, yet didn't make a move to change. I took charge, unbuttoning her blouse for her, slowly. She didn't stop me, didn't even flinch, she only moved to unhook her bra once I'd pushed the blouse off her shoulders. I looked over her naked torso, struck with the urge to cover it in kisses. I followed that urge, bending down to kiss her collarbone, her breasts. I moved to my knees, my kisses following me down to her navel, and I unbuttoned her jeans, tugging them down along with her underwear. I pressed a few more kisses to her thighs, her hips, hearing her breath pick up above me. Arousal stirred at the thought of how easy it'd be to bury my tongue between her legs, make her sigh my name. I pushed it to the back of my mind, getting back to the task at hand. 

 

Rising to my feet, I retrieved the lab coat and held it out for her, letting her put her arms through the sleeves. I buttoned it up for her, then ran my hands down the front of it, feeling her nipples through the thin cotton. 

 

“You might wanna sit down, th-this is probably going to be pretty confusing for a while, but… I-I’ll be here.” I whispered, and she did as she was told, sitting down on the sofa as she looked up at me with wide eyes. I turned around, picking up the memory gun from the coffee table.

 

“Wait.” she said, and I looked at her expectantly. She chewed on her lip, looking down at the gun. “Is… is he okay? He's somewhere safe, right?” I stared at her for a while, an indifferent expression on my face.

 

“I sent him somewhere pretty much the same as here. H-he's fine.” I assured her.

 

“What if he comes back?” she asked, and I sighed, sitting down next to her

 

“He won't.” I said, and her face immediately crumpled with worry, so I felt the need to explain. “You aren't gonna like this, but I planted a chip in his body that'll- h-he won't be able to enter this dimension. Let's just leave it at that.”

 

“It’ll kill him?” She assumed. I didn't answer, she didn't need me to. She sighed heavily and buried her face in her hands. “I don't wanna do this.” My heart started hammering in my chest, I hadn't considered the possibility that she'd change her mind.

 

“No, baby, d-don't- you'll be fine. Just a second an-and everything will be normal. You won't know any different, it'll be like no-none of this happened.” I attempted to convince her, and to my annoyance I sounded panicked.

 

“I'm gonna think he's dead. I… I don't know what's worse.” She shook her head. I opened my mouth; it was on the tip of my tongue. I wanted to tell her that she wasn't his first, that she was a replacement. But I knew that it would crush her, and whether I was going to wipe her memory or not, I didn't have it in me to tell her. 

 

“Ignorance is bliss.” I simply said, and she scoffed, shaking her head.

 

“That doesn't sound healthy.” She said, looking down and sighing, fiddling with her fingers.

 

“Sorry to break it to ya, baby, but none of this is healthy. Y-y-you and me aren't healthy! We just… we encourage each other a-and we feed off each other in fucked up ways. I-it's worked for us so far but we can't pretend that it's  _ healthy. _ ” 

 

“What do you mean by that?”

 

“You put this whole thing on me. You thrust the responsibility straight into my hands, giving me the green light to wipe your memory or do whatever the fuck I wanted because you didn't wanna deal with the guilt, or have that on your shoulders. And you know what? That's music to my ears, c-cause that means I can get what I want. I have control over this situation and I can tailor it to grant all my goddamn wishes. At the end of the day, everyone's a winner. S-so don't go back on this, it's the best option for us both, healthy or not.” I said, placing my hand on her shoulder and giving it a squeeze. “I get what I want and I'm not an asshole for it cause you explicitly consented to it, and you get to go on with your life without being the insensitive bitch who ditched her boyfriend of six months to shack up with this other guy she's known for a week.”

 

“I can't even deny that that went through my mind. Is that selfish? Oh God, I'm horrible.” She whined, covering her face with her hands in despair. 

 

“Get over it. Nobody's perfect, so what if we make some morally dubious decisions and frame them in a way that makes us feel better? Who cares, huh? L-let’s just do this thing- get this show on the road.” I said, nudging her. 

 

“I can't in good conscience agree to this. What about my original Rick? He's out there somewhere, his whole life turned upside down, and I haven't done a thing about it! I haven't tried enough to sort this mess out.”

 

“What exactly do you think  _ you  _ can do about it?” I asked her, leaning back into the sofa and settling in. Looked like it'd be a long night.

 

“I… I don't know. Convince you to bring him back?” She tried, and I snorted. She looked up and turned her body to face me at this, dread in her eyes. “Rick, if I asked you- genuinely begged and pleaded with you to bring him back so that I could be with him… would you care enough about me to agree?” 

 

“I uh, I don't think that question could accurately portray how much I care about you, sweetie. There's a lot-lot of complications that factor into that-” I started, avoiding her eyes.

 

“Just answer the question.” She interrupted.

 

“Alright, no. I wouldn't, not in a million years. You know why? Because I'm selfish.” I said bluntly. “M-maybe I care about you  _ so much  _ that I won't even give you what you want if it means me having to give you up. How's that for an answer? Weren't expecting that? Maybe your old Rick was cool with handing you over; just like that. But like I said, I'm selfish. Way too selfish to not take what I want when it's out there on a silver platter for me.” 

 

“So, you've been giving me this illusion of control this whole time? Knowing that no matter what, you were always going to do what  _ you want. _ ”

 

“Maybe that's what you need.”

 

“This… this is like reverse psychology, or some bullshit. All this time I've been thinking I had control over this, with none of the responsibility. You convinced me of that. I could make my decision and you'd take responsibility for it, leaving me guilt free and giving us both what we want. But really, that was just smoke in mirrors. I genuinely can't do a fucking thing to change this situation, can I?” She asked, and I needn't answer. “You tricked me into thinking this was my choice, when really, it's all you.”

 

“What do you expect from me, baby?” I asked, then sat up and held her chin in my hand. “Like I said, maybe that's what you need. You keep on telling yourself you want control, when really, you act like a child when it's handed over to you. You can't deal with control, you need me to step up and do everything for you.”

 

“That's bullshit.” She said, pulling out of my grip, but there was little conviction in her tone.

 

“It’s okay, sweetie. It works out for me too, you don't have to feel bad about it. J-just accept how fucked up this situation is and let me make everything go away.” I lifted the memory gun again, and she eyed it up nervously. “Surrender control over to me and you don't have to worry about any of this anymore, it's that simple. We can go back to how things were.”

 

“Whether I surrender or not, you'll do it anyway, won't you?” She asked, and something very interesting happened. Her eyes darkened. “I'm completely under your thumb, at your mercy.” She added. Those eyes. I had picked up on that look very quickly, years of science had made me observant, and I knew exactly what it meant. She was turned on.

 

I let my eyes glide down the front of her body, noticing the fast pace at which her chest rose and fell under my lab coat and how her nipples were visible through the thin white fabric. I bet that if I touched her, I'd find her wet. She was more complicated than I thought she was, and I wanted so badly to figure her out and find out what else could make her squirm.

 

“That's right.” I said, meeting her eyes again and nodding my head. I lowered the memory gun onto the floor, then placed my hand on her thigh, slowly sliding it upwards. “I decide what happens here. I think we should stop wasting time with all this useless talking, and continue setting the scene.”

 

She looked down at my hand, fidgeting as I got closer to her pussy, parting the lab coat as I went. “I don't see what that has to do with setting the scene, Rick.” She said, but it wasn't a protest. She parted her legs.

 

“I'm gonna take your memory back to the moment right after we finished fucking. You gotta feel well-fucked otherwise- y-you know, it might not feel convincing.” I explained, she looked up at me with fresh lust in her eyes, and my cock throbbed. “And I know that you're turned on right now, baby. Le-let me work out some of that frustration.” 

 

“I'm not- why would I be-” she shook her head and I shushed her. Her lips pressed into a hard line.

 

“It's getting old, sweetie. All this denial. You know I can give you what you need, that's why you chose me.”

 

“I didn't  _ choose  _ anything…” she trailed off, exhaling softly when I squeezed her upper thigh before moving further upwards. I purposely missed her most sensitive spots, instead moving my hand to her stomach, sliding my hand between the folds of the lab coat, feeling her soft, warm skin. 

 

“Alright. You can say that.” I nodded and chuckled, humoring her. “But you have more fun with me, don't you? Not just in this sense… I've shown you places. Shared stuff with you that he didn't have the balls to.  _ We  _ can be open with each other, sweetheart. And I know that's why you… well, you didn't choose me, I get it.” My hand moved further up her body, over her breasts and to her neck. I let my palm rest over the base of her throat so I could feel her swallow hard. She watched me carefully, her skin turning flushed. The subtle fidget, wiggling of her hips to reposition herself on the sofa, told me she was only becoming more aroused. 

 

I leaned in closer and kissed her neck, made sure to pause and leave a number of hickeys on her skin. As I worked, she brought her hand up to my back, grabbed onto my shirt as she began to breathe more heavily and tilt her head back to give me more room. 

 

“Rick, I want to-” she started, pausing to let out a quiet moan as I grazed my teeth over her sensitive skin. 

 

“Mm?” I prompted.

 

“I want to please you.” She said, and I pulled back to look her in the eye. She pushed my shoulder back so I leaned into the back of the sofa, and she moved onto her knees as she kissed me, tracing a hand down my front. She groped my hard on, coaxing an embarrassing whimper from me. “Do you want me to… to put my mouth to use?”

 

“Ohh, fuck.” I sighed, stroking my fingers through her hair. She looked at me expectantly, waiting for an answer. As if I'd ever say no. “Yeah, babygirl.” She wasted no time in unbuttoning my pants and pushing them down, I lifted my hips to help her out and before I knew it, her head was in my lap. I felt her tongue painting stripes up my length, then her lips were at my balls, sucking gently as she fisted my cock.

 

Since she was still kneeling on the sofa beside me with her ass in the air, I took the opportunity to hike up the lab coat to expose her. I ran my palm over the soft roundness of her ass, and fondled her roughly. She hummed in approval, and took my cock into her mouth, bobbing up and down with a special kind of enthusiasm that had me cursing under my breath.

 

“Mm, I should probably turn this ass nice and pink, hmm?” I said, squeezing her asscheek hard. She let out an unbridled moan. “Y-you don't clench your teeth when I smack your ass, do you?” I asked, and she laughed around my cock, and the vibrations made me dig my short nails into her soft flesh.

 

“No, daddy.” She told me, pulling off for just a second. I smiled at her unprompted use of the name. I gathered her hair at the nape of her neck, keeping it out of her way. Meanwhile, my other hand was hovering an inch above her ass, getting ready to come down nice and firm. I let her have it, smacking her asscheek a little harder than I had done the last time, I wanted to leave a lasting mark. She grunted, her hips jerking forward, accidentally taking my cock deeper. She didn't choke, instead she rolled with it, burying her nose in my groin. I could feel the tight ring of her throat squeeze me, and I rolled my head back and groaned.

 

“Ahhh, fuck! Th-that’s it, babygirl. You know just how to take my cock, don't you? Such a good girl.” I praised, surprised at how long she held her position before coming up for air. She jerked my cock as she circled her tongue around the head, and I gave her another spank. She moaned, squeezing her thighs together. “Is your pussy drenched? Hmm? Just you wait, I'm gonna fuck you real hard in just a  _ little  _ while, baby. Keep going, I want you feeling  _ desperate  _ for it.” I said, slapping her once more.

 

“Y-you can go harder.” She squeaked, then took my cock to the back of her throat again, bobbing up and down quickly, a hand sneaking it's way to my balls. I let out a shaky breath, my cock throbbed in her throat.

 

“Even harder?” I mused, then delivered, giving her a harsh, unrestrained smack. She jerked again, wailing around my cock. I could no longer resist the urge to feel that perfect pussy, and reached around to slide my fingers between her folds. I found her slick and ready for my cock, and I pushed a digit inside her. She groaned, took me as deep as she possibly could again. I grunted, fighting the urge to thrust my hips, despite being well aware that she couldn't physically take anymore. I pulled her off of me by her hair, and she seemed surprised, giving a little gasp as I tugged at her scalp. I figured I was lucky that she was a bit of a freak, not thinking before I acted.

 

“Mm, I like that.” She told me, and I gave another tug on her hair.

 

“Yeah? Does that feel nice?” I asked, and she nodded. I let her go after a moment, running my hand soothingly over the back of her head. “Come on.” I said, urging her to turn around and bend over for me. I pushed her down and exposed her ass again, which had been covered once again by the lab coat. I would take it off if it wasn't so hot fucking her in it. I kicked off my pants and wasted no time in thrusting into her, burying myself in the soft, cushiony heat of her pussy. 

 

“Ohh, god.” She breathed, rocking her hips back before I had a chance to adjust to the new sensation. I groaned loudly and remained still, letting her ride my cock.

 

“Fuck yourself on my cock, b-baby, do it.” I growled, watching her take my length, putting more into the motion to get a deeper thrust. “Mm, such a horny little fucker. Can't even wait for me to pound you.” I said, and she moaned in response. I spanked her ass, evening out the redness that was much deeper on one side. 

 

“Fuck! Please, more.” She sighed, bending down further to give me more access. 

 

“I'm gonna make your ass raw, and I'm gonna blow my load all over it. W-would that make a nice picture, hmm? Y-you know more about art than I do.” I spat, my tone gravelly. I smacked her hard, feeling her pussy clench around my cock just like it did when she was about to come. I gathered her hair again, using it as my leverage to meet her thrusts, pounding into her pussy. Another smack, and another. (Y/n) was panting hard, wailing with every hit. 

 

“Yes! Please, I want you to come all over my ass.” She told me, grabbing for a cushion and burying her face in it. 

 

“First I wanna feel you come on my cock, babygirl.”

 

“That's not… not gonna be long.” She whined. “Hit me again.” She commanded, and I felt my orgasm approach, something about her calling the shots even in such a submissive position had my cock twitching, filling her with precum. I concentrated hard on not coming, trying my best to keep my pace simultaneously. It wasn't easy, but somehow I managed. I gave another blow to her backside, hearing her choked out moan and stuttered breathing, I knew she was on the edge. With one more smack, she was crying out, pulsing around my cock. I let her orgasm bring me to my own peak before pulling out, grinding my cock against the cleft of her ass and shooting my load, painting white stripes on her pink ass. 

 

“Fuck!” I groaned, feeling every muscle in my body unfurl with the waves of pleasure, closing my eyes and leaning my head back, making the most of those few precious moments of pure bliss. I was soon on the come-down, though, and with a heavy sigh I sat back into the sofa, slowly but surely catching my breath. (Y/n) was doing the same, rolling onto her side, just inches short of falling completely off the edge of the sofa. I recovered quicker than she did, and used the edge of the lab coat to clean my come off her ass. She whimpered at the sensation, and I noticed she was beginning to bruise. 

 

“Sorry, baby.” I whispered, stroking my hand softly over the reddened skin. She twisted her torso to look up at me, she had this serene look on her face, just like she had the last time we'd done this. I bent down and kissed her, slow and tender, savoring the kiss. When I broke away, she gave me an expectant look, like she was waiting for something, and I frowned in confusion.

 

“The scene has been set.” She said, and the reminder jolted me. I glanced down at where the memory gun laid forgotten (ironic) on the floor. I reached for it, keeping my eyes on the device as I worked my way up to performing the act. After a few deep breaths, I turned it towards her. She stared directly at me, a nervous wince on her face. “Will it hurt?” She asked, and I shook my head.

 

With my finger on it's trigger, I started having doubts. The same reasons for not wanting to go through with it that cropped up when she asked me to wipe her memory after I'd told her my true identity were cropping up again. For some reason, during the short time I'd spent with her, I'd grown to care about her a lot. I wanted to carry on with whatever this was, to continue spending my time with her and grow to know her more and more. My intention was there, I had my mind set and I wasn't going to be swayed now I was in this far. What I didn't want, was to know things that she didn't. I wouldn't call it lying to her, because it was her choice to remain ignorant to the complicated details of the last few days. But the idea of me knowing about it, knowing that her original Rick was alive while she mourned him… it didn't sit right in my stomach. I lowered the memory gun and sighed. 

“I don't know if this is a good way to start off our relationship.” I admitted to her. She frowned, shaking her head.

 

“I thought that was obvious, this whole  _ start of our relationship  _ has kind of been a shit show. This is about moving on, starting fresh.” She said, shifting her position to sit up, wincing as she put her weight on her backside. 

 

“Okay, I get that. B-but I can't start fresh if I know all this and you… and you don't.” I explained. She looked between me and the gun, pursing her lips. 

 

“Then… erase your memory too.” She suggested. I opened my mouth to refuse, but quickly realised that I didn't have a reason. “Then we're on the same page, nobody's living with any burdens. It really would be like nothing happened.” She whispered, reaching out to touch my wrist. I chuckled darkly.

 

“Why does this feel like some sort of suicide pact?” I asked, and she shook her head.

 

“Well, you said yourself that we’re bad for each other.” She shrugged.

 

“I don't know if I really believe that.” I told her, placing my hand over hers. “Sure, this is all pretty fucked up, but… I-I like our 'fucked up’.”

 

“Me too.” She smiled. “As bad as it sounds, I've honestly never been happier than I have this week. Despite all the shit that's come with it. You're not like him, Rick. And while there's nothing  _ wrong  _ with him, I… I like the difference.” She avoided my eyes as she spoke, and I could tell just how much guilt it brought her to admit that. I wondered if it would make her feel better to know that he wasn't so great.

 

“I'll do it.” I said, nodding my head. “We'll both forget and move on.” 

 

She looked up at me and nodded, leaning in to give me a kiss, stroking her hands up my chest and around the back of my neck. I moaned into her lips, slowly feeling myself becoming addicted to her. 

 

“I'm gonna fall in love with you.” I mumbled when she broke the kiss, resting her forehead against mine. She laughed.

 

“Oh, so you're not already? I want out.” She teased, pulling away from me and giving my chest a little shove. 

 

“Give me time.” I smirked playfully at her. She took a deep breath and looked down at the memory gun. 

 

“Okay.” She whispered with a nod. “Let's do this.” 

 

I took one last look at the settings, ensuring everything was just right. Once I was certain, I lifted the gun, ignoring how unsettling it felt to point it directly at her face, before moving my finger to rest on the trigger.

 

“See you on the other side.” I told her. She closed her eyes, and I pulled the trigger. She went limp, falling back against the sofa cushions, and I knew it'd only be a moment before she came around. I quickly adjusted the settings, double, triple checking them, before turning it on myself. One flash of light, and it was all gone. 

 

~

 

I awoke with a start, having felt that sensation that I was falling and about the hit the ground. I was in my living room, and Rick was beside me, we must've both dozed off. My ass was sore, and in my groggy haze I was instantly reminded of what we'd just done. A little smile settled over my features, and I glanced over at Rick in time to see him wake up. He frowned and glanced around the room, then looked down at his lap where some strange device sat.

 

“Must've been intense for the both of us, hmm? I don't even remember falling asleep.” I commented as he picked the thing up, inspecting it with an odd expression. “What's that?” I asked.

 

“This is my…” He trailed off, realisation setting into his features. He looked up at me, then shook his head. “Doesn't matter, just something I was tinkering with when you fell asleep on me.” He explained, putting it aside. He kept staring at it though, like something was puzzling him. I was drawn to the bird feeder sitting on my coffee table, and gasped in excitement.

 

“Oh, you finished it!” I exclaimed, reaching for it. It looked incredible, absolutely perfect. It'd keep the squirrels and the birds in my garden very happy, they'd been missing their peanuts all week.

 

“Huh, I guess I did.” Rick chuckled, scratching the back of his head. 

 

“Thank you, baby. I'll put it out first thing in the morning.” I said, wrapping my arm around him and kissing his cheek. “Anyway, now we're awake, I'm pretty hungry. You wanna stay for dinner?” I asked. 

 

“That'd be nice.” He smiled. I kissed him on the cheek once more, and climbed off the sofa and headed into the kitchen

 

“What do you fancy? I can do pasta or something, make a bolognese. Or I can do a curry?” I suggested, calling out with my head in the fridge. I was struck with an odd sense of deja vu, but quickly dismissed it when Rick came up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist. It was surprising, Rick was rarely touchy-feely. Nevertheless, it was extremely welcome. 

 

“Anything.” He whispered. I straightened up, and he buried his face in my neck, inhaling deeply. He reached one hand down to my backside, giving it a gentle stroke. It still felt tender. “How does it feel?” He asked.

 

“Perfect.” I told him, a little smirk on my face. He leaned back and lifted the lab coat, taking a peek.

 

“Looks a little bruised. Want me to kiss it better?” He asked, and I hummed my approval.

 

“We can order a pizza.” I shrugged, reaching for his hand and leading him upstairs to the bedroom. Food could wait. Rick always came first.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it! Whew, guys... I can't believe it's over! All I can say is thank you so so much to everyone who's read this and supported me throughout. I can honestly say that it's you guys that keep me going and push me to finish my fics! (I know this cause I have two fanfics that I wrote without uploading as a I went, and neither of them are finished lol. It really is the support that motivates me!) So thank you thank you thank you! I hope you've all enjoyed reading this as much as I've enjoyed writing it :)


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